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HOW 

TO     PREPARE 
FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


E.  H.  COOPER 


THE  GREGG  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK      CHICAGO       SAN  FRANCISCO 


COPYRIGHT  1916 

BY 
E.  H.   COOPER 

COPYRIGHT  1918 

BY 
THE  GREGG  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


PREFACE 

This  book  starts  with  early  life  and  shows,  step  by  step, 
how  individuals  may,  of  their  own  initiative  and  with- 
out means,  attain  a  good  education,  lucrative  position 
and  success. 

It  may  be  that  the  reader  has  gone  part  of  the  way 
described  herein  and  desires  to  complete  the  journey. 
If  so,  skip  the  first  part  of  the  book  that  deals  with  the 
problem  up  to  your  stage,  begin  where  you  are,  and  fol- 
low the  story  from  there  on.  This  story  of  a  way  to 
success,  carefully  read  and  followed,  will  surely  lead 
you  to  the  goal  of  your  ambition. 

The  first  chapter  or  two  may  seem  very  commonplace 
and  many  are  past  those  chapters  in  the  experiences  of 
life,  but  the  chapters  that  follow  carry  the  reader  over 
places  in  the  journey  that  many  do  not  pass,  and  grow 
deeper  in  interest  as  the  end  approaches. 

The  reader  will  have  a  better  appreciation  of  the  line 
of  activity  laid  down  in  the  following  pages,  with  the 
knowledge  that  it  is  not  theory  but  the  story  of  actual 
accomplishment. 

It  is  not  the  desire  of  the  author  to  fill  this  book  with 
matter  that  the  student  could  obtain  elsewhere.  The 
author  believes  he  has  something  new  to  say.  It  is  the 
purpose  of  this  book  to  give  sound,  practical  help  that 
will  be  of  real  service  and  value  to  its  readers;  helps 
that  will  enable  them  to  profit  by  the  experience  of 
others  who  have  been  successful. 

There  are  many  ways  to  build  a  flying  machine,  and 
nearly  every  novice  has  his  own  peculiar  way.  Most 
of  the  flying  machines  built  by  novices  will  not  fly.  If 
you  would  be  sure  that  your  machine  will  fly,  follow 
the  design  of  a  tested  model  that  has  proved  success- 
ful. Experimenting  is  very  costly  business. 

5 


PREFACE 


It  took  Edison  years  to  produce  an  electric  light  globe 
that  would  give  light,  and  now,  in  modernly  equipped 
factories,  incandescent  globes  may  be  made  in  a  few 
minutes  with  small  waste  of  time  and  energy. 

It  is  as  wasteful  to  be  experimenting  with  success  in 
life  as  it  is  for  one  to  try  to  invent  all  over  again  the 
electric  light  or  airplane. 

This  outline  of  achievement  is  made  flexible  enough  to 
fit  the  highest  and  most  varied  aspirations  of  any  per- 
son. It  provides  the  ladder  on  which  to  climb.  The 
reader  may  set  this  ladder  under  any  ambition  that  he 
or  she  may  have  and  mount  as  surely  to  one  goal  as  to 
another. 

The  ambition  that  this  book  aims  to  foster  most  is 
that  of  pleasant  and  profitable  employment,  with  a 
knowledge  of  those  activities  for  which  the  individual 
student  is  most  adapted. 

In  the  young  reader's  mind  there  sometimes  comes  the 
question,  "Does  education  pay?"  Permit  me  to  quote 
from  the  well-known  Success  writer,  Orison  Swett 
Harden  on  this  question. 

Does  an  Education  Pay 

"Does  it  pay  to  learn  to  make  life  a  glory  instead  of  a 
grind? 

"Does  it  pay  to  open  a  little  wider  the  door  of  a  narrow 
life? 

"Does  it  pay  to  add  power  to  the  lens  of  the  microscope 
or  telescope? 

"Does  it  pay  to  push  one's  horizon  further  out  in  order 
to  get  a  wider  outlook,  a  clearer  vision? 

"Does  it  pay  to  taste  the  exhilaration  of  feeling  one's 
powers  unfold? 

"Does  it  pay  to  know  how  to  take  the  dry  drudgery  out 
of  life? 

"Does  it  pay  for  a  rosebud  to  open  out  its  petals  and 
fling  out  its  beauty  to  the  world? 

"Does  it  pay  to  fit  oneself  for  a  superior  position? 

"Does  it  pay  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  joy  of  living? 


PREFACE 


"Does  it  pay  to  learn  how  to  focus  thought  with  power ; 
how  to  marshal  one's  mental  forces  effectively? 

"Does  it  pay  to  acquire  power  to  get  out  of  life  high 
and  noble  pleasures  which  wealth  cannot  purchase? 

"Does  it  pay  to  make  lifelong  friendships  with  bright, 
ambitious  young  people,  many  of  whom  will  occupy  high 
places  later  on? 

"Does  it  pay  to  become  familiar  with  all  the  lessons 
that  history  and  science  can  teach  as  to  how  to  make 
life  healthy  and  successful? 

"Does  it  pay  to  change  a  bar  of  rough  pig  iron  into 
hair  springs  for  watches  thus  increasing  its  worth 
to  more  than  fifty  times  the  value  of  its  weight  in 
gold? 

"Does  it  pay  to  experience  the  joy  of  self-discovery,  to 
open  up  whole  continents  of  possibility  in  one's  nature 
which  otherwise  might  remain  undiscovered? 

"Does  it  pay  to  have  one's  own  mentality  stirred  by  the 
passion  for  expansion,  to  feel  the  tonic  of  growth,  the 
indescribable  satisfaction  which  comes  from  the  con- 
sciousness of  perpetual  enlargement? 

"Does  it  pay  to  have  expert  advice  and  training;  to 
have  high  ideals  held  up  to  one  in  the  most  critical  years 
of  life?" 

/  believe  it  all  pays  and  this  book  has  been  prepared 
in  order  that  the  author  might  have  a  part  in  helping 
others  to  receive  a  larger  share  of  the  things  that  pay  in 
this  life. 

A  hundred  hindering  trifles  hang  to  the  coat  tail  of 
every  great  undertaking. 

A  hundred  thwarting  details  threaten  the  fixity  of 
every  great  purpose. 

A  hundred  wilting  doubts  and  discouragements  men- 
ace every  great  enthusiasm. 

Determine ;  then  spurn  the  irrelevant — keep  your  eyes 
on  your  main  chance. 

Big  things  are  accomplished  by  undaunted  effort  in  a 
.straight  line  toward  a  goal  that  is  fixed  in  the  mind. 
Directness  is  the  main  point  to  remember  when  you  set 
yourself  to  a  great  task.  You  must  have  a  high  ideal 


8  PREFACE 


and  work  to  it.     You  will  never  do  big  things,  how- 
ever, unless  you  first  get  a  vision  of  big  things. 

The  work  of  accomplishing  the  task  set  forth  in  this 
book  is  worthy  of  the  best  powers  possessed  by  men 
and  women.  It  challenges  one's  best  steel. 

"Life  is  real!     Life  is  earnest! 

And  the  grave  is  not  its  goal; 
Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  returnest, 
Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul. 

"In  the  world's  broad  field  of  battle, 

In  the  bivouac  of  life, 
Be  not  like  dumb,  driven  cattle! 
Be  a  hero  in  the  strife!" 

Be  progressive  in  your  thinking.  Think  forward  all 
the  time.  Make  up  your  mind  that  you  are  going  to  be 
successful. 

Think  success,  dream  success,  work  for  success  and  it 
will  surely  be  yours. 

It  is  just  as  easy  to  form  the  habit  of  thinking  big 
thoughts  and  doing  big  things  as  it  is  to  fritter  one's  life 
away  on  the  petty  things  of  life. 

Once  the  president  of  a  university  saw  two  boys  dredg- 
ing in  tne  mire  of  a  small  pond  with  tin  cans.  He  said: 
"Boys,  what  are  you  doing?"  "We  are  catching  tad- 
poles," was  the  reply.  "What  are  you  going  to  do  with 
the  tadpoles?"  the  president  asked.  "Feed  them  to  the 
minnows,"  the  boys  replied.  The  next  question  was, 
"What  do  you  do  with  the  minnows?"  and  they  an- 
swered that  they  sold  them  to  fishermen  for  bait  and 
made  about  twenty-five  dollars  a  year  at  this  work. 
The  president  said,  "Boys,  won't  you  come  with  me  and 
study  in  my  university?  I  need  a  couple  of  boys  like 
you  and  I  will  make  it  possible  for  you  to  earn  all  ex- 
penses through  college,  by  working  evenings."  The  boys 
replied  that  there  would  be  no  one  to  catch  tadpoles  for 
the  minnows  and  that  they  would  all  die.  They  couldn't 
go.  The  president  was  insistent,  however,  and  finally 


PREFACE 9 

it  was  decided  that  one  of  the  boys  would  stay  to  catch 
tadpoles  for  the  minnows  while  the  other  followed  the 
call  of  opportunity. 

Ten  years  have  passed.  The  college  president  has 
died  and  John,  who  fed  the  minnows,  but  who  left  them 
for  the  call  of  opportunity,  is  his  successor.  John,  now 
president  of  the  college,  has  won  a  name  for  himself  by 
revising  the  curriculum  of  this  college  better  to  serve 
the  modern  needs  of  students.  His  former  partner  is 
still  dredging  in  the  mire  for  tadpoles  to  feed  the  min- 
nows. 

Men,  women,  wake  up  to  the  opportunities  that  are 
waiting  for  you!  You  live  in  the  richest  land  on  the 
face  of  the  globe,  the  land  that  offers  the  most  liberty, 
the  most  freedom,  the  greatest  opportunities  and  possi- 
bilities of  any  land.  It  is  a  land  of  freedom  in  which 
a  man  born  under  the  most  unfavorable  circumstances 
may  become  the  president  of  the  nation,  and  in  which  a 
woman  may  rise  from  any  position  to  a  Frances  E. 
Willard,  a  Jane  Addams,  a  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  or 
a  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln. 

In  the  author's  travels  he  has  known  many  deserving 
and  ambitious  young  persons  who  have  been  striving 
diligently  for  worthy  goals  in  the  world,  but  many  of 
these  persons  were  like  mariners  without  a  compass — 
they  were  wandering  aimlessly  through  life.  Some  of 
them,  after  having  attained  success  many  years  after- 
ward, look  back  and  see  how  much  lost  motion  there 
was  in  their  early  accomplishments.  Many  others  look 
back  and  see  how  they  might  not  have  missed  the  goal 
of  success  if  they  had  only  known  which  step  to  take 
next. 

It  is  to  these  ambitious  souls  that  this  book  is  dedi- 
cated. 

If  a  few  aspiring  persons  may  be  discovered  with  all 
their  undeveloped  possibilities,  and  if  they  may  be  shown 
the  way  of  opportunity  so  that  they  may  blossom  into 
their  best  service  to  themselves  and  others,  the  purpose 
of  this  book  will  be  accomplished  and  the  hope  of  its 
author  fulfilled. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

HOW   TO   BEGIN 

Qualify  for  the  School  of  Business — How  to  Become  a 
Stenographer  or  Bookkeeper — Obtaining  a  Business  Po- 
sition— The  Business  Position — What  System  Will  Do 
— Guide  Posts  to  Business  Success. 

CHAPTER  II 

YOUR  NEW  POSITION  AND  ENVIRONMENT 

Leaving  Home — Why  Leave  Home — To  the  National 
Capital — The  Departments  at  Washington. 

CHAPTER  III 

HOW   TO  SECURE  A   CIVIL   SERVICE   POSITION 

In  General — Stenographer  and  Typewriter — Book- 
keeper— Typewriter — Clerk. 

CHAPTER  IV 

THE  OPPORTUNITY  THAT  THE  FEDERAL  CIVIL  SERVICE 
OFFERS 

The  Permanency  of  the  Civil  Service — No  Political 
Influence  Needed — Hours  of  Labor — Government  Work 
Different  from  Commercial  Work — A  Woman's  Oppor- 
tunities— A  Man's  Opportunities — Entrance  to  the  Uni- 
versities. 

11 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  V 

CHOOSING  A     VOCATION 

In  General — Accountancy — Advertising — Agriculture 
— Architecture — Artist — Congressman — Consular  Serv- 
ice— Dentistry — Engineering:  Civil,  Electrical,  Me- 
chanical— Inventor — Journalism — L  a  w — Manufacturing 
— Musician — The  Ministry — Patent  Attorney — Sales- 
manship— Teaching. 


CHAPTER  I 

HOW  TO  BEGIN 

Qualify  for  the  School  of  Business  by  First  Becoming  a 
Bookkeeper  or  Stenographer 

Business  offers  the  largest  reward  of  any  calling  to 
those  who  can  qualify  as  Captains  of  Industry.  You 
will  not  learn  how  to  become  a  Captain  of  Industry  in 
a  business  school,  but  you  must  go  there  first  in  order 
to  prepare  to  enter  the  real  school — business  itself. 

To  qualify  as  a  bookkeeper  or  stenographer  will  be 
the  stepping-stone  to  larger  things,  and  it  will,  in  itself, 
be  of  very  great  personal  value  to  you  all  through  life. 

When  a  man  gets  into  business  for  himself  his  knowl- 
edge of  bookkeeping  enables  him  to  interpret  more  cor- 
rectly the  records  of  his  business,  and  to  make  decisions 
pertaining  to  its  management.  Then  if  he  be  a  stenog- 
rapher think  of  his  pleasure  in  being  able  to  take  down 
some  interesting  sermon,  speech  or  joke  that  he  may 
want  to  remember.  It  is  one  of  the  keys  to  a  good 
memory.  People  who  write  shorthand  find  a  thousand 
uses  for  it,  and  after  years  of  its  use  they  would  almost 
rather  part  with  the  alphabet  of  the  English  language 
than  to  part  with  their  knowledge  of  shorthand. 

If  a  competent  stenographer  or  bookkeeper  should  at 
any  time  fail  in  other  pursuits,  he  can  at  once  return  to 
his  old  work  and  pay  rent  and  living  expenses  until  he 
can  again  get  on  his  feet.  As  long  as  he  is  able  to  work 
it  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  ask  aid  from  others.  He 
is  independent,  and  it  gives  him  a  sense  of  security  which 
prolongs  his  life  and  helps  him  to  succeed  in  other  lines 
of  work.  It  is  a  stepping-stone  in  more  ways  than  one. 

For  example,  if  a  man  desires  to  succeed  in  his  own 

13 


14     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

commercial  business  later  in  life,  let  him  take  a  steno- 
graphic or  bookkeeping  position  under  a  good  man  in  a 
commercial  house;  if  in  law,  with  a  judge  or  lawyer  of 
highest  standing,  etc. 

Edward  Bok,  editor  of  the  Ladies'  Home  Journal, 
says: 

"The  value  of  stenography  to  young  people  is  that  it 
is  apt  to  place  them  in  positions  of  confidence  in  direct 
contact  with  their  employers,  thus  giving  them  an  in- 
sight into  the  inner  workings  of  a  business  which  they 
would  scarcely  obtain  in  any  other  way." 

Mr.  Bok  started  as  a  stenographer,  and  he  ought  to 
know  whereof  he  speaks. 

President  Wilson  learned  shorthand  in  his  youth  and 
uses  it  every  day.  The  manuscript  of  most  of  his  books 
was  written  in  shorthand.  This  accomplishment  has 
been  the  stepping-stone  to  success  of  thousands  of  prom- 
inent people. 

How  to  Become  a  Stenographer  or  Bookkeeper 

You  can  acquire  shorthand  and  typewriting  or  book- 
keeping in  six  or  seven  months  by  attending  evening 
classes  in  some  good  business  school.  No  matter  what 
your  circumstances,  if  your  present  employment  will  not 
permit,  you  can  get  employment  that  will  pay  you 
enough  to  live  on  and  to  pay  tuition  in  night  business 
school. 

Do  Not  Try  to  Become  Both  a  Bookkeeper  and 
Stenographer 

You  must  concentrate.  Focus  your  ability  upon  one 
point  until  you  burn  a  hole  in  it.  Genius  is  intensity  and 
digression  is  as  dangerous  as  stagnation.  "He  who  fol- 
lows two  hares  catches  neither."  It  is  the  single  aim 
that  wins.  Only  by  concentration  can  you  succeed. 

The  school  of  deprivation  is  a  wonderful  training  for 
after  life.  He  who  can  give  up  in  manhood  the  luxuries 
which  most  young  fellows  delight  in  possessing,  can  go 


HOW  TO  BEGIN  15 

through  the  difficulties  that  are  sure  to  come  in  a  career 
which  ends  in  success. 

In  selecting  a  business  school,  choose  one  that  has 
built  up  a  reputation  by  years  of  service  in  the  commu- 
nity. Do  not  spend  money  for  a  correspondence  course 
unless  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  personal  instruction. 
The  books  of  the  best  correspondence  schools  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Public  Libraries. 

If  you  study  stenography,  choose  a  standard  system 
of  shorthand  that  has  stood  the  test  of  years.  There  are 
several  good  systems  to  choose  from.  The  author  fa- 
vors the  Gregg  in  preference  to  the  Pitmanic  systems 
which  include  Isaac  Pitman,  Benn  Pitman,  Graham,  Mun- 
son,  Longley,  and  Dement.  The  latter  are  modifications 
of  the  original  Isaac  Pitman  and  have  geometrical  signs 
as  a  basis.  The  Gregg  system  is  based  upon  the  natural 
strokes  of  the  longhand  alphabet  and  is  taught  in  more 
than  three-quarters  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  United 
States  whose  high  schools  teach  shorthand  and  in  many  of 
our  larger  cities.  Avoid  the  systems  that  claim  to  teach 
you  in  a  few  days  or  weeks.  The  English  language  is  a 
big  language  with  many  words  and  expressions  that 
are  similar,  and  it  takes  months  to  learn  any  system  of 
shorthand  so  that  you  can  express  all  of  its  ramifica- 
tions. 

In  the  study  of  typewriting  which  you  will  learn 
along  with  your  shorthand,  by  all  means  learn  the  touch 
system,  sometimes  called  the  piano  method.  The  ease 
with  which  you  can  operate  a  machine  by  this  method 
will  ^ repay  you  a  thousand  times  for  any  extra  labor 
required  to  learn  it. 

No  matter  what  your  occupation  or  circumstances,  if 
you  will  be  persistent,  you  can  arrange  your  hours  of 
work  so  that  you  can  study  and  attend  classes  evenings. 
Some  students  who  cannot  arrange  to  attend  evening 
classes,  attend  class  every  week  day  during  half  their 
noon  hour,  and  have  every  evening  for  study.  Those 
who  attend  evening  classes  three  evenings  a  week  have 
the  other  three  evenings  to  study. 

Just  at  this  point,  some  reader  may  say,  "But  where 


16    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

does  my  time  for  social  pleasure  come  in?"  You  will 
have  to  content  yourself  with  what  recreation  and  so- 
cial pleasure  you  can  indulge  in  on  Sundays.  If  you 
would  be  successful,  you  must  pay  the  price  of  success, 
and  if  you  are  not  willing  to  pay  the  price,  then  you  may 
as  well  not  start.  The  further  along  you  go  the  easier 
this  whole  career  will  become.  If  you  can  summon 
enough  courage  to  get  a  good  start,  you  will  be  safe. 
There  are  thousands  of  students  who  are  studying  in 
evening  schools  and  the  school  for  the  man  or  woman 
who  works  is  becoming  a  stronger  and  stronger  thread 
in  the  fabric  of  our  economic  life  as  the  complexity 
of  our  civilization  increases.  It  is  many  people's  only 
way  of  advancement. 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  keep  up  your  enthusiasm  in 
the  study  of  stenography  is  to  subscribe  to  a  shorthand 
paper,  or  in  bookkeeping  subscribe  to  System.  This 
is  the  best  magazine  of  business  published.  You  can  get 
enough  out  of  any  copy  you  pick  up  to  pay  for  a  year's 
subscription.  Every  student  should  keep  his  enthusiasm 
up  to  the  welding  point  and  the  monthly  or  weekly  paper 
is  the  best  way  for  the  student  of  business  to  do  it.  If 
studying  stenography,  ask  your  instructor  to  recom- 
mend a  good  shorthand  paper. 

You  must  remember  that  in  the  learning  of  shorthand 
there  are  two  important  factors — systematic  develop- 
ment and  cultivation  of  the  mind,  and  skillful  training 
of  the  hand,  that  the  hand  and  the  brain  may  be  brought 
to  work  together  harmoniously  and  smoothly.  This  can- 
not be  accomplished  by  unmethodical  and  half-hearted 
efforts.  If  you  attack  the  difficult  problems  with  confi- 
dence and  determination,  half  of  their  difficulty  will  dis- 
appear. You  must  put  enthusiasm  into  your  study  and 
learn  to  rely  upon  yourself.  Never  give  a  second  thought 
to  what  will  be  the  outcome  of  your  efforts.  You  will 
find  that  your  reward  will  be  gauged  exactly  by  the  de- 
gree of  proficiency  you  attain,  and  that  skill  in  any  art 
comes  only  from  infinite  and  determined  practice. 

In  your  study  of  bookkeeping,  stenography,  or  type- 
writing aim  to  be  accurate  before  speedy.  Accuracy  in 


PRESIDENT  WILSON   SPEAKING  FROM   THE  1SOUTH   STEPS   OF 
THE  TREASURY  BUILDING 

The  figure  in  the  foreground  is  President  Wilson's  official  shorthand  reporter,  Charles  L.  Swem 


HOW  TO  BEGIN 17 

taking  and  transcribing  notes  is  the  thing  you  must  ac- 
quire and  in  bookkeeping  it  is  likewise  indispensable. 
In  giving  dictation  most  men  would  prefer  to  repeat  to 
you  a  sentence  now  and  then  rather  than  have  you  bring 
your  work  to  them  typewritten  with  many  errors.  In 
your  transcribing  be  sure  that  you  understand  what  you 
are  writing,  and  see  that  it  makes  good  sense.  If  there 
are  grammatical  errors  correct  them,  using  care  not  to 
change  the  sense  in  any  way. 

Obtaining  a  Business  Position 

When  you  have  attained  a  fair  degree  of  skill  as  a 
stenographer  or  bookkeeper  you  must  change  your  daily 
occupation  to  that  kind  of  work.  The  principal  of  the 
school  you  attend  will  be  glad  to  recommend  you  for  a 
position.  The  principals  of  reputable  business  schools 
are  constantly  receiving  calls  from  business  men  for 
stenographers  and  bookkeepers,  and  they  recommend 
those  students  who  show  the  best  qualifications  by  the 
work  they  do  in  the  school.  This  securing  of  a  position 
is  a  service  which  the  reputable  business  schools  perform 
gratis. 

The  Business  Position 

When  you  take  your  first  business  position,  it  will 
probably  be  at  a  low  salary,  and  the  most  valuable  thing 
you  will  get  for  your  first  few  months'  work  will  be  ex- 
perience. Put  in  extra  time  on  the  job  but  don't  drop 
the  study  of  your  shorthand  or  bookkeeping.  Continue 
to  study  evenings.  Study  every  angle  of  your  employ- 
er's business  as  though  you  were  being  paid  the  salary 
of  the  president,  and  were  expecting  to  take  over  his  job 
soon.  Pitch  in ;  don't  watch  the  clock ;  it  won't  get  away. 
Take  more  interest  in  the  business  than  the  president 
himself.  Above  all  things  be  thorough  in  your  work. 

"Initiative,  perseverance,  courage,  and  all  other  attri- 
butes of  business  success  are  secondary  to  the  attribute 
of  thoroughness." — JOHN  HAYS  HAMMOND. 

Use  system  in  the  routine  of  your  daily  work  at  the 


18    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

office.  System  means  simply  the  ability  to  get  the  thing 
done;  to  get  it  done  thoroughly,  and  to  get  it  done  on 
time.  No  matter  how  lowly  and  unimportant  the  task, 
it  can  be  made  to  provide  a  complete  training  course  in 
system  and  organization,  if  its  owner  cares  to  make  it  so. 

What  System  Will  Do  for  'You 

"It  will  clear  the  mind  of  cobwebs  and  of  brain  ash. 

"It  will  increase  effectiveness,  lengthen  life,  and  make 
it  better  worth  living. 

"It  will  produce  more  work  and  of  a  better  quality 
than  is  possible  without  it. 

"It  will  increase  your  efficiency  because  it  will  increase 
your  self-confidence  and  self-respect. 

"It  will  simplify  a  mass  of  perplexing  details  and  give 
you  freedom  for  larger,  creative  work. 

"It  will  save  the  result  of  your  labor  so  that  you  will 
not  have  to  do  things  over  and  over  again. 

"It  will  enable  you  to  make  better  use  of  your  experi- 
ence, and  will  save  you  from  pitfalls  and  business  dis- 
asters. 

"It  will  make  you  a  man  better  balanced,  better  poised 
mentally,  and  more  optimistic. 

"It  will  enable  you  to  find  anything  you  want  imme- 
diately, instead  of  losing  valuable  time  hunting  for  it. 

"It  will  make  you  a  more  agreeable  man,  because  men- 
tal confusion  fags  the  brain,  increases  nervousness,  and 
tends  to  make  one  pessimistic. 

"It  eliminates  worry  and  that  petty  anxiety  which 
comes  from  inability  to  clear  the  atmosphere  about  you 
of  little,  vexing,  harassing  details. 

"A  good  system  shortens  the  road  to  the  goal  and 
relieves  the  mind  of  a  thousand  and  one  perplexities  and 
anxieties,  besides  detail  and  drudgery  through  which  the 
orderless  man  goes." — ORISON  SWETT  MARDEN. 

Guide  Posts  to  Business  Success 

A  few  guide  posts  to  success  in  an  office  which  have 
been  adopted  by  many  large  business  organizations  for 


HOW  TO  BEGIN  19 

employees  are  given  for  the  information  of  the  reader 
to  assist  him  in  being  a  success  at  this  stage  of  his 
journey. 

Rule  i. — We  are  all  human  and  make  mistakes.  But 
a  mistake  may  be  made  the  keystone  of  system — the 
foundation  of  success.  The  secret  is  simple:  Don't 
make  the  same  mistake  twice. 

The  misspelling  of  a  customer's  name — an  error  in 
your  form  of  address — an  unfulfilled  promise ;  these  are 
valuable  assets  if  they  teach  you  exactness.  Let  your 
mistakes  shape  your  system  and  your  system  will  pre- 
vent such  mistakes.  When  you  discover  a  mistake  sit 
down  then  and  there  and  arrange  to  prevent  its  repeti- 
tion. 

Paint  it  on  your  walls;  emblazon  it  on  your  door; 
frame  it  over  your  desk;  think  it  to  yourself;  burn  it 
into  your  brain — this  one  essential  to  success:  Don't 
make  the  same  mistake  twice. 

Rule  2. — Don't  let  go  of  a  single  paper,  letter,  or  a 
duty  of  any  kind  intrusted  to  your  care  for  execution, 
until  you  have  made  a  "tickler"  memo  of  it,  so  that 
you  can  follow  it  up  to  the  end  and  know  what  becomes 
of  it. 

Rule  j. — Interview  your  "tickler"  every  morning. 
Make  it  the  first  "office  assistant"  you  see  and  consult 
at  every  day's  beginning.  Then  plan  your  day's  work 
in  accordance  with  what  the  "tickler"  tells  you  to  do  on 
that  day. 

Rule  4. — After  the  "tickler"  has  been  consulted  and 
you  have  clearly  fixed  in  your  mind  the  important  things 
that  must  be  done  to-day,  the  new  papers  coming  over 
your  desk  next  deserve  attention. 

Rule  5. — Whatever  unfinished  work  you  have  left  over 
at  night  should  always  be  left  in  the  upper  right-hand 
drawer  of  your  desk.  This  does  not  mean  part  of  your 
unfinished  work — and  the  rest  of  it  scattered  through 
seventeen  different  pigeonholes.  It  means  all  of  it;  the 
first  rule  of  system  is  to  have  one  definite,  unvarying 
place  for  each  kind  of  work.  If  by  any  chance  you  can't 
get  it  all  in  the  drawer,  see  that  a  memo  is  placed  in  the 


20     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

drawer  stating  where  the  overflow  can  be  found. 
Rule  6. — Men  who  make  and  break  promises  are  not 
always  men  who  are  intentionally  dishonest.  Sometimes 
they  are  simply  good  natured,  and  dislike  to  say  "No" 
when  asked  to  accomplish  a  given  task.  Yet  there  is  no 
worker  who  causes  more  trouble  for  others,  and  more 
unhappiness  for  himself,  than  the  man  who  continually 
makes  loose  agreements  without  first  carefully  calculat- 
ing their  feasibility.  To  break  this  habit  should  be  the 
foremost  purpose  of  the  system  man.  Let  him  resolve 
to  make  no  promises  that  he  can't  reasonably  fulfill  on 

schedule  time. 

*    *    *    * 

The  main  reason  why  you  want  to  be  thorough  and 
successful  in  your  office  work  is  because  it  is  a  part  of  the 
foundation  of  your  career.  This  position  must  be  only 
a  stepping-stone  to  something  better,  but  you  cannot  step 
to  something  better  unless  you  have  done  this  task  well. 
The  time  will  come  when  you  will  say  to  your  employer 
that  you  are  going  to  resign  to  accept  a  better  position 
and  you  should  ask  him  to  give  you  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation concerning  your  services  to  him.  Put  this 
away  carefully  among  your  treasures. 

When  you  are  about  to  leave  your  employer,  do  not 
shirk  his  work  during  the  last  week  or  last  few  days. 
Work  harder  than  ever  to  leave  everything  in  the  best 
of  shape  for  your  successor.  You  should  give  your 
employer  ten  days'  or  two  weeks*  notice  of  your  intention 
to  resign,  so  that  he  may  secure  a  successor.  When  you 
leave,  leave  with  the  best  wishes  of  your  employer. 

By  this  time  the  reader  is  beginning  to  wonder  where 
this  new  and  better  position  is  coming  from,  and  how 
he  is  to  be  so  sure  of  getting  it.  That  is  all  told  to  your 
complete  satisfaction  in  the  pages  that  follow. 

After  you  have  held  your  present  position  about  three 
or  four  months  and  have  continued  your  speed  practice, 
or  study  of  bookkeeping  evenings  during  that  time,  you 
will  be  ready  to  secure  this  better  position  previously 
referred  to,  and  this  is  your  second  task  described  fully 
in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  II 

YOUR  NEW  POSITION  AND  ENVIRONMENT 

Leaving  Home 

This  new  position  is  going  to  take  you  far  away  from 
home,  among  strangers,  but  it  will  offer  many  advan- 
tages. You  will  have  the  opportunity  to  form  new 
friends  and  acquaintances.  You  may  choose  your  own 
friends  and  if  you  wish  to  choose  a  better  class  of  as- 
sociates than  you  have  had  at  home,  it  will  be  your  op- 
portunity to  do  so. 

This  complete  change  of  surroundings  will  open  up  a 
new  world  to  you.  You  will  have  an  opportunity  to 
develop  more  than  you  ever  did  before.  You  will  learn 
many  things  about  this  great  world  that  you  never  knew 
before.  It  will  change  your  trend  of  thought.  You 
will  learn  to  think  in  terms  of  bigger  things.  You  will 
get  a  stock  of  brand-new  ideas.  If  you  have  never  trav- 
eled much,  you  have  formed  the  habit  of  thinking  in 
terms  of  the  limited  experiences  of  the  community  in 
which  you  have  lived.  You  will  become  broader  in  your 
whole  trend  of  thought  and  will  realize  that  there  are 
many  ways  of  life  that  you  never  knew  before.  Many 
of  the  things  that  have  been  myths  to  you  in  the  past  will 
become  living  realities.  You  will  actually  see  many  of 
the  things  you  have  been  reading  about  all  your  life. 

Why  Leave  Home 

You  may  not  like  the  idea  of  leaving  home  and  of 
leaving  friends,  but  this  leave  of  absence  is  only  to  be 
for  a  few  years — you  are  only  going  away  to  college. 
When  you  have  finished  your  college  training,  you  can 

21 


22    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

return  to  your  home  with  the  broad  view  of  life  and 
the  good  preparation  for  its  battles  that  a  college  educa- 
tion gives  to  one. 

If  a  man  or  woman  is  not  willing  to  leave  home  to 
win  success,  the  chances  are  that  he  or  she  will  never  be 
much  of  a  success.  The  training  necessary  to  success  is 
not  always  to  be  found  at  home. 

There  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  our  country  when 
young  people  could  work  out  their  economic  independ- 
ence at  home  and  find  their  best  opportunities  on  the 
land  adjacent  to  their  parents'  farm.  That  is  not  true 
to-day.  Even  if  a  person  wishes  to  follow  that  inde- 
pendent and  healthy  life  of  tilling  the  soil,  if  he  is  to  be 
much  of  a  success  he  must  go  away  to  some  good  agri- 
cultural college  and  study  agriculture.  If  you  would 
succeed  you  must  make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  fol- 
low opportunity  wherever  she  leads. 

To  the  National  Capital 

Opportunity  is  going  to  lead  you  to  the  National  Cap- 
ital to  take  a  position  in  the  Federal  civil  service  there. 

The  close  contact  at  Washington  with  the  scenes  of 
our  national  history  will  develop  in  you  a  keen  jnterest 
in  the  national  welfare  which  leads  to  a  broader  interest 
in  current  events  and  a  larger  outlook  on  the  things  of 
life. 

Many  a  congressman  received  his  inspiration  to  run 
for  the  National  Congress  from  his  associations  around 
the  National  Capital.  Quite  a  number  of  the  honor- 
able senators  and  representatives  at  Washington  were 
at  one  time  pages  on  the  floor  of  either  the  House  or 
Senate. 

You  do  not  need  any  political  influence  whatever  to 
secure  a  position  as  bookkeeper  or  stenographer  in  the 
United  States  government  service  at  Washington  at  an 
initial  salary  of  seventy-five  dollars  a  month,  and  with 
good  chances  for  advancement. 

You  can  secure  the  appointment  to  the  position  before 
you  leave  the  one  you  hold  so  that  there  will  be  no 


YOUR  NEW  POSITION 


chance  of  being  left  out,  or  of  any  uncertainty  about  the 
change  in  any  way. 

Before  I  go  into  the  details  of  how  to  secure  this  po- 
sition I  desire  to  give  you  a  picture  of  a  few  of  the 
advantages  of  this  unique  city  and  of  what  it  means 
to  you  to  live  there  for  a  few  years. 

What   Washington  Really  Is 

Washington  is  said  by  many  persons  of  world-wide 
travel  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  in  the  world. 

"Excepting,  perhaps,  The  Hague,  the  seat  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Dutch,  Washington  is  the  only  capital  in 
the  world  given  up  wholly  to  the  purposes  and  activities 
of  a  capital.  Washington  was  created  as  a  capital,  de- 
signed to  be  what  it  is.  London,  Paris,  Berlin,  Vienna, 
Rome,  Madrid,  Petrograd,  Constantinople,  Stockholm, 
and  Brussels  are  great  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing centers.  Mammon,  with  his  motley  retinue, 
is  painfully  in  evidence.  Washington  alone  is  a  capital, 
and  nothing  but  a  capital,  a  city  where  government  is  the 
principal  business,  where  social  and  intellectual  pursuits 
form  the  chief  activity. 

"Other  American  cities  were  built  for  labor,  but  Wash- 
ington for  play;  others  for  business,  Washington  for 
beauty;  others  for  the  strenuous  life,  Washington  for 
repose/'  —  WALTER  WELLMAN,  in  Success. 

Educational  Advantages  of  the  National  Capital 

"It  is  a  liberal  education  to  live  in  Washington."  Any 
city  is  a  great  university,  but  Washington  is  pre-emi- 
nently rich  in  educational  influences.  Here  are  vast 
piles  of  magnificent  architecture;  here  are  parks,  foun- 
tains, and  gardens;  social  advantages  and  public  func- 
tions incident  to  the  conduct  of  the  government;  inex- 
haustible riches  in  libraries,  art  treasures,  museums,  and 
scientific  appliances.  Here  is  the  center  of  the  scientific 
world,  and  with  its  established  and  proposed  universi- 
ties, here  will  be  the  center  of  the  educational  world. 

The  centering  here  of  the  several  departments  of  the 


24     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

Government  enables  one  to  become  familiar  with  its 
many  and  varied  activities.  A  broadening  of  the  outlook 
upon  life  and  an  increased  interest  in  its  affairs  can 
hardly  fail  to  result  from  the  years  spent  here. 

Mr.  Andrew  D.  White,  former  president  of  Cornell 
University,  in  a  recent  address  on  Washington  as  an 
educational  center,  said : 

"Consider  the  great  scientific  enterprises  and  organi- 
zations centering  here — the  Coast  Survey,  the  Smithso- 
nian and  Carnegie  Institutions,  the  Departments  of  Ag- 
riculture and  Interior,  etc. 

"Think  of  the  libraries  here,  with  their  vast  collec- 
tions, the  Library  of  Congress,  those  of  the  departments, 
the  Carnegie  Library,  the  Geographical  Society  Library, 
and  the  special  libraries  of  various  organizations. 

"Consider  the  museums,  from  the  great  National  Mu- 
seum down,  the  laboratories  in  every  scientific  field. 
Then  consider  the  men  gathered  and  grouped  about  all 
these  scientific  and  literary  centers — men  of  wide  scien- 
tific reputation,  pressing  on  in  the  highest  field  of  re- 
search." 

No  city  in  this  country  offers  so  rich  and  so  varied 
educational  advantages  as  the  city  of  Washington.  If, 
as  claimed,  Washington  is  the  most  beautiful  city  in 
existence  and  the  capital  of  the  greatest  of  nations,  there 
is  much  in  such  claim  to  interest  those  desiring  to  pur- 
sue education.  Such  a  city  can  but  possess  superior 
educating  influences.  Its  relative  beauty  and  importance 
make  it  a  desirable  place  for  one  to  spend  a  portion  of 
his  school  days. 

The  object  lessons  to  be  learned  are  many  and  of  great 
value.  Within  easy  reach  of  the  city  are  some  of  the 
great  battle  fields  of  the  late  war,  among  them  Manassas 
and  Gettysburg;  almost  in  sight  are  Mt.  Vernon,  of  his- 
toric and  sacred  memories,  Arlington,  and  Fort  Myer; 
Old  Point  Comfort,  Luray  Caves,  Annapolis  and  other 
places  of  national  interest  are  within  a  few  hours'  ride 
on  the  train;  and  within  the  district  lines  are  the  Sol- 
diers' Home,  Navy  Yard,  and  other  points  of  note  and 
beauty.  There  are  within  and  near  the  city  the  most 


YOUR  NEW  POSITION  25 

beautiful  scenery  and  the  choicest  historical  associations. 
All  these  things  serve  to  magnify  the  exceeding  value 
of  Washington  as  an  educational  center. 

As  the  seat  of  this  Government,  Washington  pos- 
sesses other  peculiar  charms  educationally.  Here  are 
culture  and  hospitality;  here  young  men  and  young  la- 
dies are  ushered  into  the  presence  of  great  statesmen, 
jurists,  and  diplomats,  and  are  permitted  to  view  the 
different  departments  of  Government  at  work — Senate, 
House,  Supreme  Court,  and  the  Executive  Department 
• — so  that  they  may  become  familiar  with  our  na- 
tional policy  and  catch  the  spirit  of  the  Government's 
best  impulses. 

It  is  the  deliberate  conviction  of  the  writer  that  a 
year  spent  in  school  in  Washington  is  more  valuable  to 
anyone  than  two  years  spent  in  a  similar  school  in  any 
other  city  in  the  United  States.  The  opportunities  and 
facilities  presented  here  for  culture  and  for  intellectual 
improvement  along  all  lines  are  unequalled. 

There  are  multitudes  of  good  schools  all  over  the 
land,  but  there  is  only  one  National  Capital  with  its 
incomparable  lessons  and  benefits. 

The  Library  of  Congress 

It  would  be  impossible  in  a  brief  paragraph  to  convey 
any  adequate  idea  of  the  magnitude  and  beauty  of  the 
new  building  which  has  recently  been  completed  for  the 
Library  of  Congress  after  an  expenditure  of  ten  years 
of  labor  and  over  six  million  dollars.  It  contains  shelf 
room  for  four  and  a  half  million  volumes,  while  the  ar- 
chitecture, mosaics,  statuary,  frescoes  and  paintings  rep- 
resent the  highest  excellence  attained  in  American  art, 
and  will  amply  repay  many  days  of  careful  study.  The 
public  may  use  its  collections  at  will  without  any  formal 
permission. 

The  Capitol 

The  Capitol  building  has  cost  to  date  thirteen  million 
dollars,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  impressive  and 


26    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

noble  structures  in  the  world.  On  the  eastern  portico, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  the  Presidential  in- 
augural ceremonies  take  place.  On  the  ceiling  of  the 
dome  is  painted  an  allegorical  representation  of  the 
Apotheosis  of  Washington.  The  grounds  around  the 
Capitol  contain  fifty-five  acres,  beautifully  laid  out. 

Statuary   Hall 

The  old  House  of  Representatives  is  now  filled  with 
statues  contributed  by  different  states.  They  are  of 
chosen  men,  who  have  achieved  deeds  worthy  to  be  re- 
membered. Here  stands  the  Centennial  safe,  in  which 
have  been  placed  the  records  of  our  first  century  as  a 
nation,  and  which  will  remain  closed  until  1976. 

The   Treasury 

In  the  cash  room  there  are  closed  vaults  with  a 
capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  million  dollars  in 
coin.  The  money-issuing  and  destruction  departments 
are  especially  interesting.  In  the  former  the  money 
is  counted  by  experts  who  work  so  rapidly  that 
the  eye  can  scarcely  follow  them.  That  the  Gov- 
ernment may  keep  the  currency  in  good  condition, 
old  notes  are  exchanged  for  new  ones  and  the 
old  destroyed.  One  hundred  thousand  dollars  from 
New  York,  alone,  have  been  received  in  a  single  week 
to  be  thus  exchanged.  A  century  ago  the  Treasury  De- 
partment occupied  a  building  costing  less  than  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  has  now  outgrown  one  that  cost  seven 
million  dollars.  This  illustrates  clearly  the  wonderful 
growth  and  resources  of  our  land. 

The  Departments  at  Washington 

There  are  ten  principal  departments  of  the  Govern- 
ment at  Washington: 

I. — Department  of  State. 
2. — Treasury  Department. 


YOUR  NEW  POSITION 27 

3. — War  Department. 
4. — Navy  Department. 
5. — Department  of  Justice. 
6.— Post-Office  Department. 
7. — Department  of  the  Interior. 
8. — Department  of  Agriculture. 
9. — Department  of  Commerce^ 
10. — Department  of  Labor. 

The  secretaries  of  each  of  these  departments  make  up 
the  President's  Cabinet. 

The  Department  of  State  includes  the  consular  and 
diplomatic  services  and,  in  general,  handles  all  matters 
involving  this  country's  relations  with  other  countries. 

The  names  of  the  Treasury,  War,  Post-Office,  and 
Navy  Departments,  also  the  Departments  of  Agricul- 
ture, Commerce,  and  Labor,  are  fully  descriptive  of  their 
respective  spheres  of  activity. 

The  Department  of  Justice  is  the  Government's  legal 
department,  and  is  made  up  mostly  of  attorneys  and 
assistant  attorneys. 

The  Department  of  Interior  comprises:  The  General 
Land  Office,  the  Patent  Office,  the  Bureau  of  Pensions, 
the  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs,  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
the  Geological  Survey,  the  Reclamation  Service,  and  the 
Bureau  of  Mines. 

In  addition  to  the  above  departments  there  are  the 
following  divisions  of  governmental  activity: 

Government  Printing  Office;  Interstate  Commerce 
Commission;  Civil  Service  Commission;  United  States 
Geographical  Board;  General  Supply  Committee;  Board 
of  Indian  Commissioners ;  Board  of  Mediation  and  Con- 
ciliation; Commission  of  Industrial  Relations;  Smith- 
sonian Institution;  Pan-American  Union;  International 
Waterways  Commission;  United  States  Botanical  Gar- 
dens; National  Home  for  Disabled  Volunteer  Soldiers; 
the  Soldiers'  Home;  the  Commission  of  Fine  Arts; 
American  Red  Cross ;  Columbia  Institution  for  the  Deaf ; 
Government  Hospital  for  the  Insane;  Howard  Univer- 
sity. 


28     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

In  the  War  and  Navy  Departments  the  officials  in 
charge:  except  the  secretaries,  are  commissioned  officers 
of  the  army  and  navy  instead  of  promoted  bookkeep- 
ers, clerks  and  stenographers  as  in  other  departments. 
Some  of  these  officers  are  inclined  to  give  orders  to  the 
employees  in  their  departments  in  much  the  same  man- 
ner as  they  give  orders  to  their  subordinates  in  the 
army  or  navy. 

There  is  an  opinion  held  by  some  of  those  young  offi- 
cers, and  even  by  some  of  the  older  officers,  that  any 
civilian  is  to  be  considered  the  same  as  a  private  in  the 
army  when  that  civilian  happens  to  come  under  their  su- 
pervision. Very  few  of  these  officers  have  any  business 
training  whatever.  Their  training  and  experience  have 
fitted  them  for  war,  not  industry. 

There  is,  then,  the  disadvantage  in  the  Army  and 
Navy  Departments  that  there  is  not  the  opportunity  for 
promotion  that  is  offered  in  the  other  departments  where 
the  highest  positions  are  filled  from  the  ranks  of  civilian 
stenographers  and  clerks. 

In  this  connection  if  you  decide  that  you  do  not  want 
appointment  in  either  the  War  or  Navy  Department,  be 
sure  to  state  this  fact  to  the  commission  before  you  are 
offered  appointment,  for  if  you  should  be  offered  ap- 
pointment in  either  one  of  these  departments  and  refuse 
to  accept  without  reasons  satisfactory  to  the  commission, 
then  your  name  would  be  dropped  from  the  register  of 
eligibles.  The  time  to  make  your  choice  is  before  you 
are  offered  appointment.  After  appointment  you  can- 
not be  transferred  to  any  other  department  until  you 
have  served  three  years. 

While,  as  stated  in  Chapter  III,  it  may  seem  that  an 
unnecessary  amount  of  red  tape  is  required  to  get  into 
the  civil  service,  yet  it  is  necessary  to  unwind  just  about 
as  much  of  it  to  dismiss  one  from  the  service  after  he 
is  once  appointed. 

You  are  reasonably  sure  of  your  civil  service  posi- 
tion as  long  as  you  do  your  work  satisfactorily.  There 
are  pending  before  Congress  at  this  time  several  bills 
to  pension  all  civil  service  employees  who  have  become 


YOUR  NEW  POSITION 29 

old  in  the  service.  It  is  believed  that  it  is  only  a  question 
of  time  until  one  of  these  bills  will  become  law.  There 
are  civil  service  employees  at  Washington  who  have 
grown  so  old  and  decrepit  in  the  service  that  they  have 
to  be  wheeled  to  their  offices  in  roller  chairs,  but  they 
still  hold  their  positions  which  many  of  them  have  had 
for  over  thirty-five  years. 

Many  of  these  old  men  still  draw  salaries  of 
one  thousand  six  hundred  dollars  a  year  and  more.  In 
some  offices  they  are  reduced  in  pay  down  to  seventy- 
five  or  one  hundred  dollars  a  month,  and  allowed 
to  remain  at  that  salary.  This  condition  of  the  service 
is  what  makes  imperative  the  passing  of  some  kind  of 
pension  and  retirement  law.  For  the  good  of  the  serv- 
ice, it  would  be  cheaper  to  retire  every  one  of  these 
old  employees  at  a  salary  of  fifty  dollars  a  month  for  the 
rest  of  their  lives  than  to  keep  them  in  the  service  at 
seventy-five  or  one  hundred  dollars  a  month.  Many  of 
them  are  only  in  the  way  of  the  younger  employees  who, 
of  course,  must  do  the  work  of  the  departments. 

This  condition  is  not  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
younger  employees,  but  rather  to  their  material  advan- 
tage. After  an  employee  gets  old  and  is  reduced  in  sal- 
ary, he  is  not  eligible  for  promotion,  and  for  every  such 
employee  the  opportunities  for  those  who  are  eligible 
for  promotion  are  thereby  increased.  There  are  young 
employees  who  have  been  promoted  in  the  service  from 
an  entrance  salary  of  nine  hundred  dollars  a  year  to 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars  a  year  in  three  years' 
time. 

Whenever  Congress  passes  a  bill  to  retire  all  the  vet- 
eran civil  service  employees,  which  is  quite  apt  to  be  in 
the  near  future,  there  will  be  many  wholesale  promo- 
tions for  the  younger  clerks  who  are  in  the  service  at 
that  time,  for  the  reason  that  there  will  be  a  lot  of  em- 
ployees who  are  still  very  active  and  drawing  big  sal- 
aries but  who  have  been  in  the  service  long  enough  to  be 
retired  under  the  provisions  of  the  law. 


CHAPTER  III 

HOW  TO  SECURE  A  CIVIL  SERVICE  POSITION 

In  General 

This  chapter  is  written  from  years  of  experience  in 
the  civil  service  and  with  all  the  best  writings  and 
courses  on  civil  service  before  the  author.  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  with  the  instructions  given  in  this 
book  one  can  pass  civil  service  examinations  for  the 
positions  covered  here,  just  as  well  as  through  any  of  the 
civil  service  correspondence  courses  offered  by  the  vari- 
ous schools  at  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  dollars.  If 
you  are  a  stenographer,  or  a  bookkeeper,  or  an  office  clerk 
of  fair  ability,  or  if  you  have  finished  a  course  in  some 
good  business  college,  you  can  pass  the  -civil  service 
examination  with  the  preparation  and  outline  of  study 
given  here. 

The  Civil  Service  Commission  holds  examinations  to 
fill  various  other  positions  requiring  qualifications  vary- 
ing from  those  of  a  learned  scientist,  to  those  of  an  un- 
skilled laborer.  It  would  take  a  large  volume  to  tell  how 
to  obtain  each  of  the  various  positions  offered  by  the 
United  States  Civil  Service  Commission.  The  positions 
treated  in  this  chapter  have  been  selected  for  the  follow- 
ing reasons : 

First. — There  is  a  larger  demand  for  persons  to  fill 
the  positions  of  stenographer  and  typewriter,  book- 
keeper, typewriter  and  clerk  than  for  any  other  posi- 
tions filled  by  the  Civil  Service  Commission  and  conse- 
quently appointments  are  received  more  quickly. 

Second. — Most  of  the  higher  positions  are  filled  by 
promotion  from  these  classes. 

Third. — The  above-named  positions  may  be  secured 
through  less  time  and  effort  than  any  other  positions 

30 


THE  CIVIL  SERVICE 31 

offered  by  the  Commission  paying  anywhere  near  as  high 
salary. 

Of  the  positions  covered  here,  the  stenographer  and 
typewriter  position  offers,  by  far,  the  best  advantages 
and  the  quickest  and  surest  appointment.  The  demand 
for  stenographers  exceeds  so  far  the  supply  every  year 
that  it  sometimes  happens  that  those  who  fail  on  ex- 
aminations are  offered  positions  because  all  the  lists  of 
eligibles  who  passed  have  been  exhausted. 

This  excessive  demand  for  stenographers  is  due  large- 
ly to  the  fact  that  almost  all  the  higher  positions  are  filled 
by  promotion  from  the  ranks  of  stenographers  and  there 
must  be  others  to  fill  their  places.  Thousands  of  men 
and  women  use  the  government  service  as  a  stepping- 
stone  to  obtain  an  education.  As  soon  as  they  finish 
their  schooling  they  resign  to  take  up  their  profession 
or  business  in  their  home,  and  this  makes  many  vacan- 
cies in  the  service. 

After  the  stenographer  and  typewriter  examination, 
the  next  best  opportunity  is  for  the  bookkeeper.  There 
is  a  large  'demand  for  male  bookkeepers  in  the  various 
accounting  and  auditing  offices  of  the  Government. 

If  you  cannot  qualify  as  a  stenographer  and  type- 
writer or  bookkeeper,  there  is  the  position  of  ^typewriter 
which  does  not  require  any  knowledge  of  'shorthand. 
Almost  any  person  can  become  skilled  enough  on  the 
typewriter  in  three  months  to  pass  this  examination. 

The  clerk  examination  does  not  require  knowledge  of 
either  bookkeeping,  shorthand  or  typewriting,  but  the 
chances  for  appointment  are  not  so  good  as  those  of  the 
bookkeeper,  typist,  or  stenographer  and  typewriter. 

The  following  figures  show  the  number  of  appoint- 
ments made  during  a  recent  period  for  the  different 
classes  of  positions  here  considered: 

Stenographer  and  Typewriter 379 

Bookkeeper   240 

Typewriter    157 

Clerk 90 

Total  .  "866 


32    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

With  regard  to  salaries,  on  a  sheet  of  personal  ques- 
tions which  you  will  be  required  to  answer  at  time  of 
examination,  you  will  be  asked:  "What  is  the  lowest 
salary  you  wnnlH  ^-rppt?"  In  answer  16  this  question, 
if  a  man,  put  down  nine  hundred  dollars  a  year  if  you  are 
taking  the  stenographer  and  typewriter  examination  or 
the  bookkeeper's  examination,  and  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  a  year  if  you  are  taking  the  clerk  or  type- 
writer examination.  If  you  are  a  woman,  put  down 
eight  hundred  and  forty  dollars  a  year  if  you  are  taking 
the  stenographer  and  typewriter  examination  and  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars  a  year  if  you  are  taking  the 
typewriter  or  clerk  examination. 

There  is  no  demand  for  women  bookkeepers  in  the 
government  service. 

You  will  profit  by  following  exactly  the  above  recom- 
mendations about  your  demand  for  salary.  If  there 
should  be  open  a  position  which  you  could  fill  and  which 
paid  a  larger  salary  than  you  stated  on  your  papers,  you 
would  be  appointed  at  the  higher  salary,  but  in  case 
there  was  a  position  open  paying  a  salary  less  than  what 
you  asked  then  you  would  not  be  considered  for  it  at 
all.  You  can  easily  get  the  salaries  named  and  you  would 
not  increase  your  chances  of  appointment  by  lowering 
them,  but  would  decrease  your  chances  by  raising  them. 

The  salaries  named  are  the  beginning  salaries  only  and 
worth-while  promotion  is  sure  to  follow  if  your  work 
proves  satisfactory.  Many  of  the  government  em- 
ployees, both  men  and  women,  receive  from  two  thousand 
to  three  thousand  dollars  a  year  after  a  few  years  of 
service. 

Persons  wishing  to  take  the  United  States  civil  ser- 
vice examination  should  write  direct  to  the  United  States 
Civil  Service  Commission,  Washington,  D.  C,  or  to  the 
secretary  of  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Board  of 
Examiners  at  Boston,  Mass.;  New  York,  N.  Y. ;  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. ;  Atlanta,  Ga. ;  Cincinnati,  Ohio ;  Chicago, 
111. ;  St.  Paul,  Minn. ;  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  New  Orleans,  La. ; 
Seattle,  Wash. ;  San  Francisco,  Cal. ;  San  Juan,  P.  R. ; 
Honolulu,  Hawaii;  Juneau,  Alaska;  or  Balboa  Heights, 


THE  CIVIL  SERVICE  33 

Canal  Zone,  for  application  blanks,  stating  which  exam- 
ination they  desire  to  take.  Ask  them  to  send  you  neces- 
sary application  blanks  and  also  a  copy  of  "Manual  of 
Examinations."  This  book  will  explain  all  about  the 
examinations,  and  is  absolutely  free  to  you  for  the  asking. 

Requests  made  through  third  parties  cause  delay  and 
entail  unnecessary  correspondence  upon  those  parties 
and  the  Commission.  Any  available  information  may  be 
secured  by  writing  to  the  Commission  or  one  of  its  dis- 
trict secretaries  or  other  representatives. 

Attempts  of  applicants  to  secure  unusual  considera- 
tion or  special  action  through  the  aid  of  prominent  or 
presumably  influential  persons  are  useless  and  are  dis- 
countenanced by  the  Commission,  which  under  the  civil 
service  law  and  rules,  must  treat  all  applicants  with 
absolute  impartiality. 

Preparedness  is  the  secret  of  success  on  any  examina- 
tion. You  stand  entirely  on  the  merits  of  what  you  can 
do  on  examination.  The  Commission  specifically  states 
that  they  want  only  the  recommendations  of  your  work 
and  the  certificates  of  good  character  which  are  a  part 
of  your  application. 

When  the  head  of  any  of  the  departments  needs  a 
stenographer,  typist,  bookkeeper,  or  clerk  he  sends  to 
the  Civil  Service  Commission  a  requisition  stating  the 
salary  to  be  paid.  The  Commission  sends  back  the  names 
and  examination  papers  of  three  persons  who  have 
passed  the  examination.  These  three  names  are  the 
names  of  those  making  the  highest  grades.  The  depart- 
ment head  selects  one  of  the  names  and  sends  the  other 
two  back  to  the  Commission.  The  other  two  are  placed 
on  the  register  until  called  for  again. 

At  this  point,  I  desire  to  call  special  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  appointing  official  has  your  application  for 
examination  and  all  examination  papers  in  hand,  to- 
gether with  those  of  two  other  candidates  at  the  time 
you  are  selected.  These  papers  make  a  good-sized  pack- 
age of  detail  to  go  through  and  in  many  cases  the  ap- 
pointing officer,  instead  of  reading  all  three  of  them  care- 
fully, preparatory  to  selecting  one,  glances  over  them 


84     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

casually,  and  picks  the  one  having  the  neatest  looking 
bunch  of  papers. 

If  anything  is  read  fully  it  is,  in  most  cases,  your 
application  for  examination.  You  have  all  the  time  you 
want  to  make  that  out,  so  be  sure  that  it  is  as  neat  as 
you  can  make  it.  Also  do  not  forget  the  above  fact  when 
working  on  examination  papers.  Avoid  blots  and  ugly 
erasures. 

Being  a  southerner  myself,  it  has  been  my  experience 
that  many  young  people  from  the  South  have  a  wrong 
impression  of  the  position  the  negro  occupies  in  the 
Federal  civil  service.  When  I  was  first  appointed  to 
Washington  from  a  southern  state,  several  of  my  friends 
told  me  that  I  would  probably  have  to  work  for  a  negro 
there  or  work  with  one  on  terms  of  equality.  There  is 
no  truth  in  this  statement.  I  wish  to  state  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  young  person  from  the  South,  whose  prejudices 
are  strongly  against  the  negro,  that  he  need  not  fear  any 
obnoxious  association  with  him  at  Washington.  You 
will  find  Washington  to  be  cosmopolitan  in  the  person- 
nel of  its  citizens.  People  representing  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  are  assembled  there  and  many  of  them  are 
of  dark  skin. 

After  you  get  the  application  for  examination,  fill  it 
out  carefully  and  as  neatly  as  you  can,  and  return  it 
to  the  Commission  immediately.  Do  not  wait  until  a 
week  or  ten  days  prior  to  the  examination,  because  these 
applications  are  frequently  returned  for  correction  of 
some  minor  detail,  and  if  there  is  not  plenty  of  time  for 
it  to  get  back  to  Washington  again  and  then  for  a  reply 
to  come  to  the  local  examiner  in  your  state,  you  will 
lose  the  opportunity  to  take  the  examination,  and  will 
have  to  wait  for  the  next  one  to  be  held. 

In  filling  out  the  application  you  will  find  that  there 
is  seemingly  a  world  of  red  tape  in  connection  with  it. 
It  is  a  fact  that  many  applicants  grow  weary  of  the  long 
and  tedious  red  tape  and  the  thousand  and  one  ques- 
tions to  be  answered  and  fail  to  send  their  applications 
in  just  because  it  takes  so  much  time  and  trouble  to  get 
them  properly  filled  out.  Do  not  let  this  hinder  you. 


THE  CIVIL  SERVICE  35 

Read  the  application  through  carefully  before  you  at- 
tempt to  fill  it  out.  Then  fill  it  out  in  accordance  with 
the  instructions  printed  on  it  and  have  it  signed  by  the 
notary  and  others  required  to  sign.  Be  sure  to  put  a 
ten-cent  revenue  stamp  on  the  notary's  acknowledgment 
or  the  application  will  be  returned.  When  you  have  it 
completed  send  it  to  the  Civil  Service  Commission  at 
Washington,  and  if  it  is  not  properly  filled  out,  it  will 
be  returned  with  a  letter  stating  what  corrections  are 
necessary.  You  must  answer  every  question  asked  if 
you  do  not  want  the  application  to  be  returned.  Do  not 
overlook  a  single  one.  When  the  application  is  finally 
completed  you  will  be  notified  by  a  card  from  the  Com- 
mission that  you  are  admitted  to  the  examination.  The 
date  and  place  will  be  mentioned  on  the  card,  and  you 
should  take  this  card  to  the  examination  room  with  you 
for  admittance. 

The  examinations  are  very  much  alike  from  time  to 
time,  in  that  they  cover  the  same  field  of  knowledge.  A 
careful  study  of  the  test  questions  given  herein  is  the 
best  preparation  that  you  can  get  for  the  examination. 
Take  the  whole  bunch  of  test  questions  and  answer  all 
of  them  the  same  as  if  you  were  in  examination,  allow- 
ing yourself  the  same  time  on  each  subject  as  shown 
in  schedules  prepared  for  each  examination.  This  is 
the  best  kind  of  preparation. 

Do  not  get  nervous  over  the  examination.  Be  calm 
and  composed.  By  all  means  don't  be  impressed  with 
any  fear  and  nervousness  of  not  passing.  Fear  is  the 
most  destructive  emotion  that  the  human  being  experi- 
ences. It  will  cut  your  efficiency  in  half  if  you  do  not 
banish  it  from  you.  Have  faith  and  courage  in  its  stead 
if  you  would  succeed.  If  you  will  forget  about  whether 
you  are  going  to  pass,  and  put  your  whole  mind  on  the 
work  at  hand,  it  is  quite  certain  you  will  pass.  Do 
not  make  the  grievous  mistake  of  studying  late  the  night 
before  examination.  Finish  your  study  two  nights  be- 
fore the  examination  and  on  the  night  before  the  exami- 
nation go  to  bed  very  early  after  some  brisk  exercise  in 
the  open  air.  Get  up  early  on  the  day  of  the  examina- 


36     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

tion  and  take  a  brisk  walk  before  breakfast,  and  do  not 
try  to  do  any  studying  on  that  day. 

If,  perchance,  you  are  not  successful,  that  won't  harm 
you.  Make  another  application  to  the  Commission  for 
the  next  examination. 

"A  person  who  has  been  notified  of  his  failure  to  pass 
in  an  examination  may,  upon  filing  a  new  application,  in 
due  time,  enter  the  next  examination,  when  held." — CIVIL 
SERVICE  RULE. 

Your  first  failure  will  show  you  where  you  are  weak 
and  will  put  you  in  the  right  position  to  prepare  to  pass 
the  next  examination.  Failure  on  one  examination  will 
not  prejudice  the  Commission  against  you  in  any  way 
on  future  examinations.  The  author  failed  in  his  first 
examination  before  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  but 
tried  the  very  next  one  and  passed.  Since  that  time  he 
has  taken  many  civil  service  examinations  for  different 
kinds  of  positions  and  has  never  failed  on  any  of  them. 
Don't  let  a  failure  daunt  your  courage.  So-called  fail- 
ures are  only  successes  in  disguise  to  him  who  has  the 
courage  to  push  on. 

A  failure  is  not  always  your  fault.  It  may  be  due  in 
a  few  cases  to  carelessness  of  examiners  in  grading  pa- 
pers. The  author  once  received  a  very  low  mark  on  a 
certain  examination  which  was  below  the  passing  mark 
of  seventy  per  cent.  He  was  confident  that  he  ought  to 
have  passed.  Living  in  Washington  at  the  time  it  was 
convenient  to  go  to  the  office  of  the  Commission  and  ask 
to  see  the  examination  papers  in  order  to  learn  why  they 
were  rated  so  low.  It  developed  that  the  entire  papers 
on  one  subject  had  been  lost  by  the  Commission  and  that 
they  didn't  allow  any  credit  whatever  for  that  subject. 
It  developed  also  that  certain  correct  answers  of  some 
problems  in  accountancy  were  not  graded  at  their  full 
value.  When  the  whole  matter  was  properly  adjusted, 
the  average  was  eighty-five  per  cent  instead  of  fifty  per 
cent,  and  appointment  was  afterward  offered  to  the  po- 
sition sought. 

However,  the  author  believes  firmly  that  the  Com- 
mission is  strictly  competent,  impartial,  fair,  and  honest 


THE  CIVIL  SERVICE  37 

in  all  of  its  dealings  with  applicants  for  examinations, 
and  that  errors  like  the  above  do  not  happen  often.  I 
would  recommend  that  you  do  not  attempt  to  question 
their  grading  of  your  papers  in  any  way  unless  you  are 
very  sure  that  a  gross  error  has  been  made. 

If,  however,  you  will  follow  carefully  the  instructions 
laid  down  in  this  book,  you  will  not  fail.  The  civil 
service  examinations  are  not  half  as  hard  as  most  people 
think,  but  to  be  successful  you  must  be  prepared  on  the 
subjects  of  the  examination. 

As  mentioned  previously,  the  sample  questions  given 
in  this  book,  and  also  to  be  found  in  the  ''Manual  of 
Examinations,"  are  the  very  best  material  for  prepara- 
tion that  you  can  find. 

If  you  can  go  to  some  reliable  business  college  and 
study  arithmetic,  English,  and  speed  practice,  or  book- 
keeping, that  is  the  best  thing  to  do  in  conjunction  with 
the  study  of  sample  questions. 

In  taking  the  examination  selected,  you  will  be  al- 
lowed seven  hours  for  the  bookkeeper  examination, 
six  hours  for  the  stenographer  and  typewriter  examina- 
tion and  five  hours  for  the  typewriter  or  clerk  examina- 
tion. You  will  be  required  to  stay  in  the  examination 
room  until  you  finish  the  examination,  except  that  you 
may  be  excused  for  the  toilet.  When  you  finish  you 
will  not  have  to  wait  for  others  who  are  not  yet  finished. 
Examination  papers  are  given  to  each  person  separately 
and  as  soon  as  you  finish  one  set  of  papers  you  may  turn 
it  in  and  get  the  next  set  without  having  to  wait  for  oth- 
ers to  finish. 

Under  the  headings  of  each  of  the  positions  treated 
in  this  chapter,  is  given  a  schedule  of  subjects  which 
shows  the  weight  of  each  subject  and  the  amount  of  time 
one  should  allow  for  it  on  the  examination.  This  shows 
the  problem  in  clear  form  so  that  the  student  knows 
where  to  put  in  most  of  his  time  in  preparation,  and  in 
taking  the  examination. 

These  tables  have  been  the  result  of  very  careful  study 
and  analysis  of  the  examination  problem,  with  the  end 
in  view  of  showing  the  student  exactly  where  to  apply 


38    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

his  effort  so  that  it  will  count  the  most  points  according 
to  the  Commission's  way  of  rating  papers.  The  author 
is  certain  that  by  carefully  directing  one's  efforts  in 
accordance  with  these  tables,  appointment  will  be  the 
result. 

Take  the  ten  minutes  allowed  in  these  schedules  to  eat 
a  light  luncheon  at  your  desk  about  noontime.  This 
much  relaxation  and  rest  is  necessary,  and  will  more 
than  pay  for  itself  in  increased  efficiency  on  the  subjects 
that  follow.  It  will  refresh  you  and  you  will  finish  bet- 
ter than  if  you  tried  to  work  through  the  entire  time 
without  food  or  rest.  In  selecting  the  luncheon  do  not  in- 
clude any  highly  concentrated  foods  or  those  hard  to 
digest.  Some  bread  and  butter  sandwiches  and  a  bottle 
of  milk  make  the  best  luncheon  for  this  occasion. 

After  you  have  finished  the  examination  you  will  have 
to  wait  until  the  papers  can  be  sent  to  Washington  and 
graded  before  you  will  get  your  rating.  The  time  re- 
quired for  this  varies  from  a  couple  of  weeks  to  several 
months,  but  in  most  cases  the  papers  are  graded  within 
a  month  of  the  date  of  the  examinations. 

You  will  be  notified  by  post  card  of  your  rating.  If 
you  have  made  a  good  grade,  you  will  be  offered  a  posi- 
tion soon.  Persons  living  very  far  from  Washington 
are  usually  appointed  by  telegraph.  The  Department  se- 
lecting you,  wires  asking  if  you  will  accept  a  certain  po- 
sition in  a  certain  office  at  a  certain  salary.  If  your  re- 
ply is  favorable,  you  are  immediately  wired  back  to  "re- 
port for  duty  at  Washington  as  soon  as  practicable." 
This  telegram  is  confirmed  by  letter  mailed  the  same 
day,  which  you  will  receive  later. 

The  position  is  then  yours  beyond  dispute  or  doubt 
and  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  resign  your  present  position 
and  go  to  Washington  and  report  for  duty. 

The  instructions  to  "report  for  duty  at  Washington 
as  soon  as  practicable,"  do  not  mean  as  soon  as  possible. 
When  you  receive  the  letter  of  appointment,  reply  to  it 
an  acceptance  of  the  appointment  which  will  be  a  con- 
firmation of  your  telegram  of  acceptance.  In  this  letter 
you  should  state  that  you  feel  honor  bound  to  give  your 


THE  CIVIL  SERVICE  39 

present  employer  notice  before  leaving  him  and  that 
you  will  report  for  duty  on  a  certain  date,  naming  the 
date.  Give  your  employer  reasonable  notice  before  you 
leave.  It  is  the  honorable  thing  to  do,  and  moreover 
when  you  have  finished  at  Washington,  he  may  be  the 
very  man  who  will  throw  some  professional  practice 
your  way  or  assist  you  in  business. 

It  will  not  be  a  trying  task  to  fit  yourself  into  your 
new  work.  You  will  find  most  of  the  people  very  willing 
to  instruct  a  beginner  in  the  service.  They  probably 
began  in  the  same  way.  You  will  be  given  some  light 
work  at  first  and  allowed  plenty  of  time  to  familiarize 
yourself  with  it  before  you  are  expected  to  accomplish 
very  much. 

The  "Departmental  Service"  is  the  service  at  Wash- 
ington. If  you  are  interested  in  the  educational  features 
mentioned  in  this  book,  be  sure  to  state  in  your  papers 
that  you  wish  appointment  in  the  Departmental  Service. 
Otherwise  you  may  be  appointed  to  serve  in  Panama, 
the  Philippines,  or  Alaska.  You  may  wish  to  transfer 
to  one  of  these  places  after  you  have  finished  your  work 
at  Washington. 

If  you  are  short  of  funds  for  the  trip  when  you  receive 
your  appointment,  don't  let  that  worry  you,  although  it 
is  much  better  if  you  can  have  a  little  money  saved  up. 
You  have  the  papers  to  show  of  your  secured  position 
and  the  salary  it  pays.  A  government  position  once  se- 
cured under  the  rules  of  the  civil  service  is  almost  as 
sure  a  thing  as  a  government  bond.  Any  friend  or  busi- 
ness man  who  trusts  your  honesty  will  lend  you  the 
money  to  get  to  Washington,  and  when  you  get  there 
if  you  will  let  it  be  known  that  you  are  working  for  the 
Government,  any  boarding-house  keeper  will  trust  you 
for  your  room  and  board  until  you  can  draw  your  pay. 

Employees  at  Washington  are  paid  semi-monthly  and 
none  of  the  pay  is  ever  held  back.  You  are  paid  in 
full  on  each  pay  day. 


40     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


Stenographer  and   Typewriter 

The  typewriter  examination  and  the  shorthand  exam- 
ination are  considered  as  separate  examinations.  In 
order  to  become  eligible  as  a  stenographer  and  type- 
writer one  must  pass  both  examinations.  These  exami- 
nations are  given  to  the  applicant  at  the  same  time. 

The  subjects  of  the  examination  and  relative  weight 
of  subjects  on  scale  of  one  hundred  are: 

Stenographer — 

Stenography  dictation / 75 

Copying  from  rough  draft 10 

Penmanship 5 

Report  writing 5 

Arithmetic   5 

Total    100 

Typewriter — 

Copying  and  spacing 20 

Copying  from  rough  draft 15 

Copying  from  plain  copy 10 

Time  on  typewriter 30 

Penmanship    10 

Report  writing 10 

Arithmetic 5 

Total    loo 

The  subjects  of  copying  from  rough  draft,  penman- 
ship, and  report  writing,  will  be  required  to  be  taken  only 
once,  at  the  same  time  and  place  with  the  examination 
for  stenographer  and  typewriter. 

If  a  competitor  passes  both  the  stenographer  exami- 
nation and  the  typewriter  examination,  the  averages  of 
the  two  examinations  will  be  combined,  with  a  weight  of 
two  for  stenography  and  a  weight  of  one  for  typewrit- 
ing, and  with  the  average  thus  obtained,  his  name  will 


Copyright,  Detroit  Photographic  Co 

WASHINGTON  MONUMENT 


STENOGRAPHER  AND  TYPEWRITER   41 


be  entered  on  the  combined  stenographer  and  typewriter 
register.  In  addition,  his  name  may  be  considered  for 
positions  as  typewriter  alone,  or  stenographer  alone,  if 
the  needs  of  the  service  so  require. 

In  order  that  the  student  may  know  the  relative  value 
of  the  subjects  based  on  one  hundred  per  cent,  after  they 
are  combined  with  a  weight  of  two  for  stenography  and  a 
weight  of  one  for  typewriting  as  mentioned  above,  the 
following  table  has  been  prepared: 

SCHEDULE  FOR  APPORTIONMENT  OF  TIME  ON  PREPARATION 

AND  EXAMINATION   FOR   STENOGRAPHER   AND 

TYPEWRITER 


Subject 

Value 

Time  one  should 
give  to  subject 
on  examination 

Stenography  dictation  

tjo  % 

2  hrs.  45  min. 

Copying  from  rough  draft.  . 
Luncheon  

iiffc 

10  min. 
10  min. 

Time  on  typewriting  
Penmanship 

10% 
61% 

See  Note  No.  i 
See  Note  No  2 

Copying  and  spacing  

15  min. 

Report  writing  . 

61% 

i  hr  15  min 

Arithmetic  

5  % 

i  hr.  15  min. 

Copying  from  plain  copy.  .  . 

3i% 

10  min. 

Totals  

100    % 

6  hours 

Note  I. — Graded  from  your  speed  on  the  three  typewriting  sub- 
jects. 

Note  2. — Graded  from  report- writing  paper. 

Spelling  will  be  considered  in  grading  typewriting 
papers. 

On  your  report-writing  paper  be  very  careful  with  its 
legibility,  neatness,  and  general  appearance  and  with  its 
correctness  and  uniformity  in  the  formation  of  words, 
letters  and  punctuation  marks.  Since  your  penmanship 
will  be  graded  from  this  paper,  it  is  important  that  the 
above  mentioned  features  be  carefully  executed. 


42     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  element  of  time  on  the  three 
typewriting  subjects,  namely,  copying  from  rough  draft, 
copying  and  spacing  and  copying  from  plain  copy,  is 
valued  at  ten  per  cent.  Be  sure  to  bear  this  in  mind 
and  do  your  typewriting  as  fast  as  possible  without  sac- 
rificing accuracy.  It  would,  however,  be  better  to  sac- 
rifice speed  for  accuracy,  if  necessary.  Time  is  not 
counted  on  transcription  of  your  stenography  dictation, 
so  take  pains  to  get  this  right. 

On  the  subject  of  copying  and  spacing  where  you  are 
required  to  do  much  tabulation  work,  be  sure  that  you 
are  prepared  for  this  tabulation.  In  business  I  find  that 
many  stenographers  who  have  a  good  speed  on  straight 
typewriting  do  not  know  a  thing  about  counting  of 
spaces  and  arranging  a  tabulated  statement  so  that  it  has 
symmetry  of  form  and  clear  presentation  of  fact. 

Practice  on  your  machine  several  times  the  treasury 
statement  given  in  the  sample  questions.  If  you  don't 
practice  it,  you  will  find  that  it  will  require  more  time 
to  get  it  right  than  you  can  afford  to  give  to  it  on  exami- 
nation. Don't  fool  yourself  about  this  tabulation. 

It  will  be  noted  from  the  preceding  table  that  the  sub- 
jects having  the  most  weight  on  examination  are  short- 
hand and  typewriting.  The  other  subjects  are  compara- 
tively easy,  except  arithmetic.  Nearly  everyone  de- 
ceives himself  about  his  ability  in  handling  ordinary 
problems  in  arithmetic,  and  for  this  reason  more  fail 
on  arithmetic  than  on  any  other  subject.  However,  since 
a  perfect  paper  on  arithmetic  is  worth  only  five  per  cent 
on  this  examination,  a  student  may  leave  this  subject 
out  entirely  and  still  make  a  good  average  grade  pro- 
vided the  average  is  good  enough  on  the  other  subjects. 

You  would  be  allowed  to  leave  out  the  arithmetic  if 
you  cared  to  on  examination.  You  would  be  handed  a 
paper  of  questions  on  arithmetic  which  you  could  im- 
mediately turn  in  and  ask  for  the  papers  on  the  next 
subject. 

As  previously  stated,  time  is  limited  to  six  hours  for 
all  subjects  on  this  examination.  The  value  of  dividing 
one's  time  as  outlined  in  a  preceding  schedule  cannot  be 


STENOGRAPHER  AND  TYPEWRITER   43 

impressed  too  forcibly.  If  you  have  not  finished  one 
subject  in  the  time  properly  allotted  to  it,  lay  it  aside,  or 
if  required,  turn  it  in  and  proceed  with  the  next  subject. 
This  is  vital  to  your  success. 

Sample  Questions  and  Tests  with  Their  Solutions.     First 
Subject — Stenography  Dictation 

The  following  is  a  sample  of  dictation  which  has  been 
given: 

Our  present  system  of  transportation  by  rail  is  not  keeping 
pace  with  our  rapid  increase  of  production  and  consumption. 
Most  of  the  transportation  is  over  rail,  and  we  have  utilized 
our  rivers  only  in  a  meager  way.  This  is  essentially  true  of 
our  interior  waterways.  Water  traffic,  to  a  large  extent,  is 
localized  around  the  Great  Lakes  and  splendid  as  are  the 
results,  still  the  benefits  have  failed  to  reach  the  great  interior 
sources  of  production.  Even  this  limited  area  of  water  trans- 
portation, however,  demonstrates  advantages  and  shows  that 
waterways  should  be  established  and  assured  as  a  permanent 
part  of  the  traffic  system.  Over  the  region  of  the  central  west 
lies  a  great  freight-producing  area.  Under  all-rail  system  of 
carrying  freight  the  western  producer  fails  to  reach  the  mar- 
kets with  a  profit,  and  the  consuming  world  is  denied  access 
to  these  interior  fields  of  production.  For  several  years  the 
roads  have  failed  to  move  the  crops  in  season,  and  before  long 
they  will  be  able  to  move  only  a  portion  of  the  farm  products 
to  market.  Leaders  in  railroad  transportation  recently  esti- 
mated that  the  next  ten  years  would  require  seventy-five  thou- 
sand miles  more  of  trackage  construction  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  normal  growth  of  the  country.  It  is  quite  unlikely 
that  the  necessary  increase  of  railroad  mileage  and  equipment 
will  be  made.  Wisdom  and  experience  point  to  a  comprehensive 
program  of  interior  waterway  improvement.  Encouragement  of 
production  is  not  rational  if  we  neglect  the  natural  facilities  for 
distribution. 

The  practical  test  in  stenography  consists  of  one  ex- 
ercise of  two  hundred  and  fifty  words  similar  to  that 
above  and  containing  no  technical  matter.  The  dictations 
are  given  to  the  entire  class,  in  regular  order,  according 
to  speed.  A  preliminary  exercise  is  given  at  the  rate 
of  eighty  words  a  minute,  to  familiarize  the  competitors 
with  the  examiner's  manner  of  dictation.  The  regular 
exercise  will  then  be  dictated  at  different  rates  of  speed, 


44    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

as  follows :  Eighty  words,  one  hundred  words,  one  hun- 
dred twenty  words,  and  one  hundred  forty  words  a 
minute.  The  matter  dictated  is  different  for  each  exer- 
cise. 

All  competitors  are  expected  to  take  the  notes  at  both 
the  preliminary  and  the  regular  eighty-word  tests,  one  of 
which  exercises  they  will  be  required  to  transcribe.  In 
addition  they  will  be  permitted  to  take  the  notes  of  any 
or  all  of  the  remaining  dictations  at  the  higher  rates  of 
speed.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  dictations  the  competi- 
tors will  be  allowed  ten  minutes  in  which  to  select  one 
of  the  eighty-word  exercises  and  any  one  of  the  exer- 
cises at  the  higher  rates  of  speed  which  they  may  wish 
to  transcribe. 

The  notes  of  all  the  tests  not  to  be  transcribed  will  be 
taken  up  by  the  examiner  and  will  not  be  considered  in 
the  rating.  The  transcript  of  the  notes  may  be  made 
either  with  the  typewriter  or  in  longhand.  Not  to  ex- 
ceed one  hour  will  be  allowed  for  making  the  transcrip- 
tions. 

Speed  in  making  the  transcript  is  not  an  element. 
Competitors  who,  in  addition  to  one  of  the  eighty-word 
dictations,  transcribe  one  of  the  dictations  at  a  higher 
rate  will,  in  determining  the  ratings  on  the  stenography 
test,  be  given  the  rating  on  the  exercise  in  which  they 
attain  the  higher  percentage  on  speed  and  accuracy  com- 
bined, and  the  other  exercise  will  not  be  considered. 
Speed  and  accuracy  are  given  equal  weight  in  the  rating, 
the  ratings  for  speed  for  the  different  rates  of  dicta- 
tion being  as  follows :  Eighty  words  a  minute,  seventy 
per  cent  in  speed ;  one  hundred  words  a  minute,  eighty 
per  cent  in  speed;  one  hundred  twenty  words  a  minute, 
ninety  per  cent  in  speed;  one  hundred  forty  words  a 
minute,  one  hundred  per  cent  in  speed.  The  rating  for 
accuracy  is  determined  by  the  correctness  of  the  tran- 
script. 

No  special  system  of  stenography  is  recommended. 
Any  system  or  method  of  making  notes,  including  the 
use  of  shorthand  writing  machines,  is  acceptable,  pro- 
vided the  notes  are  turned  in  to  the  examiner  after  being 


STENOGRAPHER  AND  TYPEWRITER   45 


transcribed.  Some  of  the  departments,  however,  have 
expressed  their  unwillingness  to  employ  stenographers 
who  make  notes  by  means  of  mechanical  devices. 

Second  Subject — Copying  and  Spacing 

In  the  copying  and  spacing  test  the  competitor  is  re- 
quired to  make  an  exact  copy  of  an  exercise  similar  to 
that  shown  in  reduced  size  below,  reproducing  it  accurate- 
ly in  every  particular,  and  preserving  all  spaces  between 
lines  and  between  words,  figures,  and  characters,  and  the 
relative  positions  of  the  lines  on  the  sheet.  The  copy  fur- 
nished to  the  competitor  is  a  photo-lithograph  of  a  sheet 
which  has  been  typewritten  and  is  so  prepared  that  it 
may  be  reproduced  on  any  style  of  typewriting  machine. 
The  rating  is  on  accuracy  only.  The  total  time  consumed 
will  be  rated  as  a  separate  subject. 


Statement  made  by 

tfttASURY     DEPARTMENT 
of  Customs  Business , 


/.Q. 


Districts 
and 

ports. 

Fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1901 

Tax. 

He- 
oeipts. 

value  of  exports. 

I 
Ex- 
penses* 

"^476 
98,527 
15,187 

For-   :   DO- 
eign.  :  'nestle. 

Saco  

$29 

$53 

14,744 
151,997 
198 
420,234 
84,448 
1,257 
478 
29,880 
:     14 
5  750,100 
!   7,1S7 
I     277 

|430 
2*,  654 
107 

|657 
54,020 

Brunswick  

13,534 
151,364 
145 
419  i  234 
83,385 
578 
SSI 

HUffibOldt  

163,682 

3,0£7 
18,354 
6,537 
1,489 
2,319 

Milwaukee  

1,788 
230 
88 

29,744 
134 

cape  Vincent.. 

29,749 

13,946 

156,590 

14,890 
163 
32,316 

14,901 
13,672 

Cleveland..*.. 
Gloucester.  .  .  . 
Peabina.  ...... 

:  747,560 
:   5,135 
1   71,023 

1,757 
1,000 
1Q,308 

388,825 
404 
64,567 

The  receipts  for  1901  are  $20,444,485.64  greater  than  for 
1900,  the  next  highest  in  our  records,  and  of  the  increase  $11,- 
852,737.01,  considerably  more  than  one-half,  is  fron  customs 
revenue. 

The  net  growth  of  expenditures  for  the  year  is  122,253,551.00. 
The  surplus  for  the  year  is  Kept  at  $77,717,984. 38,     x     x     x 
which  is  only  $1,809,075.80  less  than  in  1900.     Thfe  expendi- 
tures for  1890  were  exceeded "by  those  of  1863,  $718,754,276.18. 


46    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


It  is  not  practicable  to  give  solutions  to  the  first  two 
subjects  since  they  are  tests  of  personal  skill  instead  of 
knowledge. 

Third  Subject — Copying  from  Rough  Draft 

In  the  exercise  in  copying  from  rough  draft  the  com- 
petitor will  be  required  to  make  a  corrected  copy  of  a 
rough-draft  letter,  such  as  appears  below,  paragraphing, 
punctuating,  capitalizing,  and  spelling  as  in  the  copy, 
but  writing  in  full  all  signs  and  abbreviated  words.  This 
exercise  should  be  double  spaced. 

Competitors  who  take  the  stenographer  examination 
only  may  make  the  copy  either  in  longhand  or  with  the 
machine,  while  those  who  take  the  stenographer  and 
typewriter  examination  or  the  typewriter  examination 
will  be  required  to  make  the  copy  on  the  machine.  Speed 
in  making  the  copy  will  be  considered  only  in  the  cases 
of  those  who  take  the  stenographer  and  typewriter  or 
the  typewriter  examination. 


ocean-carrying  aarineyiflJBNnli  fieeeefc  byAthe 
In  one  yr  we  paid  to  foreign  companies  f 169,000,000  for 
freightage-,  and  t49.0QO.OOO>forCfarM  «n7foa8Benge'r7^ani 
insurance.     In  the  ««*y  eaote  yr  >he  cowitry  sent  to  for- 


eign lands  •ver4MO.OiXJ.OOOk  more  of  good*  than 

•ff1r_  %^»JttA*  Jt-^—i- 

from^trteee  SBUH*yte»;  and  •»«•  some^call  this^tha  balance 
of  trade  In  our  favor.     *  Y,>ae  uiea»  of  the  regular  steas* 
ship  lines  between  Eur  and* the  U  j.     Jt^recelreiJ^a  larger 
proportion  of  *h»flB?s>or\.t.4*4/ia  the  outlet  for  over 


/third  of  our  ocmfreatlc  exports^/  Bread-stuffs,  provisions, 


cotton,  and  petrdleun  form (gne-haJlf^about) of  *he-,export», 


city  ha*  «te««  353  aljrater  front, (of  which  JU»»\^t^ 

*          *>~t**rv^£  A-JLo-*. 

.         Bay  tefwe^d-  for  shipping.,  the  pier*  of  Jersey  City  and 
t     V\  *  -* 

\    F  Hobokeit,  In  M  J,(practlcallyXar5)a.part 


ninety  nl  of  pler^Aaay  b^  ven^.  largely  extended, 
elgn  novement  of  the  port^ohich-- i«.  nery  i*rg»^t< 


The  for- 
more  Vhan 


three  tlstas  the  tonnage  cf^ltt  nearest  competitor, 
JioetonTyAbout  fifty  «t 
<r«eklleaTe   tho 


rslnth«  foreign 

under  th«  8r*l» 


ich  and 


under  the  MMTS9M  flag. 


STENOGRAPHER  AND  TYPEWRITER      47 


Solution 

One  of  the  great  needs  of  the  United  States  is  an  ocean- 
carrying  marine.  In  one  year  we  paid  to  foreign  companies 
one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  million  dollars  for  freightage,  and 
forty-five  million  dollars  for  passenger  fares  and  marine  insur- 
ance. In  the  same  year  the  country  sent  to  foreign  lands  over 
sixty  million  dollars  worth  more  of  goods  than  it  bought  from 
them;  and  some  writers  call  this  sum  the  balance  of  trade  in 
our  favor. 

New  York,  the  second  largest  city  in  the  world,  is  the  port 
of  the  regular  steamship  lines  between  Europe  and  the  United 
States.  It  is  the  outlet  for  over  one-third  of  our  domestic 
exports,  receiving  even  a  larger  proportion  of  our  imports. 
Breadstuffs,  provisions,  cotton  and  petroleum  form  about  one- 
half  of  its  exports.  As  the  city  has  three  hundred  and  fifty-three 
miles  of  water  front,  half  of  which  may  be  improved  for  ship- 
ping, and  as  the  piers  of  Jersey  City  and  Hoboken,  in  New  Jersey, 
are  practically  a  part  of  the  same  port,  its  ninety  miles  of  pier 
line,  already  surpassing  all  other  ports,  may  be  largely  extended. 

The  foreign  movement  of  the  port,  or  the  capacity  of  vessels 
in  the  foreign  trade  entering  or  leaving  it,  is  more  than  three 
times  the  tonnage  of  Boston,  its  nearest  competitor.  About 
fifty  steamers  in  the  foreign  trade  leave  the  port  every  week, 
half  of  which  sail  under  the  British  and  one-eighth  under  the 
American  flag. 

Fourth  Subject— Copying  from  Plain   Copy 

This  is  a  test  of  one's  skill  in  the  use  of  the  typewriter. 
Any  typewriter  may  be  used  that  the  applicant  may  de- 
sire. It  is  a  wise  thing  to  become  familiar  with  the  par- 
ticular machine  to  be  used  before  you  take  it  to  the 
examination  room. 

In  copying  from  plain  copy  the  competitor  will  write 
with  the  typewriter  an  exercise  consisting  of  four  hun- 
dred fifty  words,  paragraphing,  spelling,  capitalizing,  and 
punctuating  precisely  as  in  the  copy.  The  rating  on  this 
subject  is  for  accuracy  only.  The  total  time  consumed 
on  the  three  typewriting  tests  is  rated  as  a  separate  sub- 
ject. In  determining  the  accuracy  the  rating  will  be 
made  at  the  discretion  of  the  examiner  on  one  hundred 
fifty  words  from  any  part  of  the  exercise,  the  same 
part  being  rated  for  all  competitors  in  a  given  examina- 
tion. This  exercise  should  be  single  spaced. 


48     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


Fifth  Subject— Time 

Time  as  a  separate  element  will  be  rated  on  the  total 
time  consumed  on  the  three  typewriting  subjects. 

Arithmetic — Questions 

In  solving  the  following  problems,  give  the  work  in 
full,  showing  all  the  figures  and  mathematical  signs  nec- 
essary for  the  solution  of  each  problem,  without  any 
unnecessary  figures.  Write  the  word  "Answer,"  or  its 
abbreviation,  "Ans."  after  the  answer  to  each  problem. 

I. — This  question  comprises  a  test  in  adding  numbers 
crosswise  and  lengthwise.  There  are  usually  three  col- 
umns of  about  twenty  numbers  each  to  be  added. 

2. — Multiply  3  9-16  by  20.73,  divide  the  product  by 
6.91  and  to  the  quotient  add  the  difference  between  7  3-4 
and  98  7-125.  Change  all  common  fractions  to  decimals 
and  solve  by  decimals. 

3. — New  Brunswick  has  66,224  pupils  enrolled  in  her 
elementary  schools  out  of  a  population  of  397,344. 
Saskatchewan  has  36,225  pupils  enrolled  out  of  a  popu- 
lation of  289,800.  If  the  same  per  cent  of  the  popula- 
tion were  enrolled  in  Saskatchewan  that  is  enrolled  in 
New  Brunswick,  would  Saskatchewan  have  to  increase 
or  decrease  her  present  enrollment,  and  by  how  many 
per  cent  of  the  present  enrollment? 

4. — A  public  square  is  surrounded  by  a  walk  which 
contains  an  area  of  I  acre  and  is  2  rods  wide,  the  walk 
being  entirely  outside  of  the  square.  What  is  the  area 
of  the  square?  One  acre=i6o  square  rods. 

5. — Make  an  itemized  statement  of  the  following  ac- 
count as  it  should  appear  taken  from  the  books  of  Vogel 
&  Son,  make  a  proper  heading,  close  the  account,  and 
bring  down  the  balance  as  it  should  have  appeared  June 
I,  1911.  During  the  month  of  May,  1911,  Vogel  &  Son 
had  the  following  transactions  with  Benton  Van  Riper: 
May  i,  he  owed  them  on  account  $59.80;  May  2,  he 
gave  them  his  note  due  in  10  months  for  $42,  receiving 
credit  for  its  present  worth,  $40;  May  4,  he  sold  them 


STENOGRAPHER  AND  TYPEWRITER   49 


648  pounds  pork  at  12^2  cents  per  pound;  May  5,  he 
bought  of  them  216  bushels  wheat  at  97^2  cents  per 
bushel;  May  22,  he  sold  them  75,850  bricks  at  $9.40  per 
thousand;  May  16,  he  transferred  to  them  by  indorse- 
ment a  note  given  him  by  John  Doe,  face  of  note  $900, 
accrued  interest  to  date,  $36;  May  23,  he  bought  of  them 
880  pounds  of  pork  at  12^  cents  per  pound,  agreeing 
to  pay  freight  also  at  16^/2  cents  per  100  pounds,  the 
freight  to  be  prepaid  by  them;  May  31,  they  sold  him 
14,560  pounds  coal  at  $6.90  per  ton  of  2,240  pounds. 

Solutions 

I. — On  examination,  you  can  prove  the  correctness  of 
this  first  problem  by  adding  the  horizontal  totals  and  the 
vertical  totals.  If  they  give  the  same  result,  your  work 
is  correct.  If  not  an  error  has  been  made. 

Example  of  Problem  i  follows: 


Month. 

Dept.  A. 

Dept.  B. 

Dept.  C. 

Dept.  E. 

Dept.  F. 

Totals 

Jan... 

$    IOO.OO 

$  150.00 

1  200.00 

$  175.00 

$  160.00 

$  785.00 

Feb.    . 

2OO   OO 

300  .  oo 

700  .  oo 

296  oo 

740  oo 

2236  oo 

Mar.. 

500  oo 

400  oo 

600  oo 

284  oo 

700  oo 

2484  oo 

Apr. 

750  oo 

375  oo 

570  oo 

Totals... 

$1550.00 

$1225.00 

$2070.00 

11055.00 

$2060  .  oo 

$7960.00 

2. — First  reduce  9-16  to  a  decimal  fraction  by  adding 
two  ciphers  to  the  numerator  and  dividing  by  the  denomi- 
nator. This  gives  .5625.  Now  we  multiply  3.5625  by 
20.73.  Multiply  the  same  as  whole  numbers  and  point 
off  as  many  places  in  the  product  as  there  are  in  both 
multiplier  and  multiplicand,  which  is  six  in  this  case. 
The  product  is  73.850625.  Dividing  by  6.91  gives  10.6875 
for  a  quotient.  In  pointing  off  problems  in  division  of 
decimals  remember  that  you  point  off  as  many  places  in 
the  quotient  as  the  number  of  places  in  the  dividend  ex- 
ceeds the  number  of  places  in  the  divisor.  There  are 
six  places  in  the  dividend  and  only  two  in  the  divisor, 
hence  we  point  off  four  places  in  the  quotient. 

From  98  7-125  subtract  7  3-4.     Reducing  these  com- 


50     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

mon  fractions  to  decimals  as  before  we  have  98.056 — 
775=90.306.  This  difference  is  to  be  added  to  the 
quotient  which  was  previously  found  to  be  10.6875. 
90.306+10.6875=100.9935,  Answer. 

3. — This  is  a  problem  in  percentage.  Be  sure  to  study 
carefully  the  chapter  on  percentage  and  its  application 
in  your  arithmetic.  When  dealing  with  percentages  al- 
ways remember  that  per  cent  is  an  abbreviation  of  the 
Latin  words,  per  centum,  which  means  by  the  hundred. 
20  per  cent  means  20  hundredths.  To  find  what  per  cent 
10  is  of  50,  is  to  reduce  10/50  to  a  decimal  fraction  so 
that  the  ten  can  be  expressed  in  terms  of  hundredths  in- 
stead of  fiftieths.  The  manner  of  reducing  common 
fractions  to  decimals  was  given  in  solution  to  Problem 
No.  2.  10/50  is  equal  to  20/100,  therefore  10  is  20  per 
cent  of  50.  In  reducing  10/50  to  hundredths  we  set 
down  100  as  the  denominator  of  the  fraction  to  be  found, 
divide  50  into  100  and  multiply  by  10.  This  is  the  same 
as  to  multiply  10  by  100  and  divide  by  50,  hence  the  rule 
given  in  solution  to  Problem  No.  2. 

Add  two  ciphers  to  the  numerator  and  divide  by  the 
denominator  to  reduce  a  common  fraction  to  a  decimal. 

From  the  above  the  following  rule  is  deduced : 

Rule  i. — To  find  the  per  cent  that  a  given  number  is 
of  another  number,  add  two  naughts  to  the  given  number 
and  divide  by  the  other  number. 

In  the  solution  of  this  problem  we  add  two  naughts  to 
66,224  and  divide  by  397,344.  The  quotient  is  i6^j  per 
cent  and  this  is  the  per  cent  of  population  enrolled  in 
New  Brunswick.  By  the  same  process,  we  find  that 
Saskatchewan  has  an  enrollment  of  12^2  per  cent  of  its 
population.  If  the  same  per  cent  of  population  were  en- 
rolled in  Saskatchewan  that  is  enrolled  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, Saskatchewan  would  have  to  increase  her  present 
enrollment  by  the  difference  in  the  two  per  cents,  which 
is  four  and  one-sixth  per  cent  of  the  population.  Four 
and  one-sixth  per  cent  of  the  population  in  Saskatche- 
wan is  12,075  people.  Saskatchewan  must  increase  her 
present  enrollment  by  12,075  people.  But  the  problem 
asks  by  what  per  cent  of  the  present  enrollment.  4  1-6 


STENOGRAPHER  AND  TYPEWRITER   51 


means  41-6  hundredths.  Multiply  by  4  1-6  and  divide 
by  100.  This  is  accomplished  in  the  shortest  way  by 
multiplying  by  4  1-6  and  pointing  off  two  places.  From 
the  above  the  following  rule  follows: 

Rule  2. — To  find  any  per  cent  of  a  given  number,  mul- 
tiply the  given  number  by  the  per  cent  desired  and  point 
off  two  places  in  the  product. 

Do  not  confuse  this  rule  with  Rule  I.  In  Rule 
i,  you  have  two  numbers  and  want  the  per  cent  that 
one  is  of  the  other.  In  Rule  2,  you  have  one  number 
and  the  per  cent  and  want  the  other  number. 

Twelve  thousand  and  seventy-five  people  is  33 Y$  per 
cent  of  the  total  enrollment  of  36,225  people,  therefore 
Saskatchewan  must  increase  her  present  enrollment  by 
33  Ys  Per  cent  °f  tne  Present  enrollment  to  have  the  same 
per  cent  of  population  enrolled  as  that  in  New  Bruns- 
wick. Answer ,  33^/3  per  cent. 

4. — A  drawing  of  the  public  square  and  the  walk  en- 
ables one  to  get  a  better  understanding  of  this  problem. 


WALK. 

WALK. 

PUBLIC 
SQUARE. 

P 

WALK. 

Since  the  walk  is  in  the  shape  of  a  square  and  two 
rods  wide,  there  are  four  small  squares,  one  at  each 
corner,  that  do  not  measure  any  of  the  distance  around 
the  public  square.  Four  square  rods  is  the  area  of  each 
of  them  and  16  square  rods  is  the  total  area  of  all  of 
them.  We  will  subtract  this  16  square  rods  from  the 
total  square  rods  in  the  whole  walk  and  this  leaves  the 
area  of  the  four  sides — 144  square  rods.  Since  the  sides 
are  equal,  dividing  144  square  rods  by  4  gives  the  area 
of  one  side,  which  is  36  square  rods.  Since  the  walk 


52     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


is  2,  rods  wide  dividing  by  2,  gives  the  length  of  one  side 
— 18  rods.  The  public  square  is,  therefore,  18  rods  by 
18  rods  and  its  area  is  the  product  of  18X18  which  is 
324  square  rods  or  2  1-40  acres,  Answer. 

5. — This  problem  has  a  catch  in  it  and  the  catch  is  in 
the  alternating  use  of  the  phrases : 

"He  sold  them."  "He  bought  of  them."  They  sold 
him."  "They  bought  of  him." 

By  looking  at  these  catch  phrases,  you  will  observe 
that  "He  bought  of  them"  means  the  same  as  "They 
sold  him." 

In  the  solution  of  this  problem  watch  these  catch 
phrases  carefully  and  be  sure  that  you  don't  make  a 
mistake  as  to  which  one  is  buying  the  goods  because  that 
determines  which  side  of  the  statement  the  item  is  to  be 
written  on.  Keep  firmly  in  mind  whose  books  the  state- 
ment is  being  prepared  from  because  one  man's  account 
of  the  same  transaction  is  just  the  opposite  of  the  oth- 
er's. A  debit  on  my  books  against  you  is  a  credit  on 
your  books  to  me. 

STATEMENT  OF  ACCOUNT 

VOGEL  &  SON 

IN  ACCOUNT  WITH 

BENTON  VAN  RIPER 


Date,  1911 

Item 

Debits 

Credits 

May 

i, 

Balance 

59 

80 

2 

Note 

40 

oo 

4. 

648  Ibs.  pork,  at  I2^c 

81 

oo 

5, 

216  bu.  wheat  at  97^c 

2IO 

60 

16, 

Note  of  Jno.  Doe 

900 

oo 

" 

Accrued  interest  on  above  note 

36 

oo 

22, 

75,850  bricks,  at  #940  per  M. 

712 

99 

23, 

880^  Ibs.  pork,  at  I2^c 

106 

70 

Freight  on  above 

i 

45 

31. 

6%  tons  coal,  at  £6.90  per  ton 

44 

§5_ 

423 

40 

1769 

99 

Credit  balance 

1346 

59 

1769 

99 

1769 

99 

BOOKKEEPER  53 


Other  Subjects 

Penmanship. — The  rating  on  penmanship  will  be  de- 
termined by  legibility,  rapidity,  neatness,  and  general  ap- 
pearance, and  by  correctness  and  uniformity  in  the  for- 
mation of  words,  letters,  and  punctuation  marks  in  the 
exercise  of  the  sixth  subject — report  writing.  No  par- 
ticular style  of  penmanship  is  preferred. 

Report  Writing. — In  this  exercise  the  competitor  is 
given  a  loose  statement  of  facts,  four  hundred  to  five 
hundred  words  in  length,  which  he  is  to  summarize  and 
arrange  into  an  orderly,  concise,  and  grammatical  state- 
ment of  the  essential  facts,  consisting  of  not  more  than 
two  hundred  words. 

This  exercise  is  designed  to  test  the  competitor's 
knowledge  of  simple  English  composition  and  his  gen- 
eral intelligence.  In  rating  the  report  its  errors  of  form 
and  address,  spelling,  capitalization,  punctuation,  syn- 
tax, style,  and  the  arrangement,  conciseness,  and  com- 
pleteness of  the  report  are  considered. 

The  above  tests  are  copied  from  a  current  issue  of 
Form  No.  1424  published  by  the  Commission.  The 
student  will  find  the  same  or  similar  questions  in  copy 
of  Form  No.  1424,  which  he  may  obtain  from  the 
Commission  for  the  asking.  The  sample  questions  are 
changed  from  time  to  time  in  the  Commission  publica- 
tions, and  the  purpose  of  giving  these  sample  questions 
here  is  to  provide  the  student  with  an  extra  copy  of  them 
for  study,  also  to  give  such  solutions  and  answers  as  will 
be  of  help  to  the  student. 

Bookkeeper 

The  time  allowed  for  this  examination  is  seven  hours. 
Competitors  who  fail  to  receive  a  rating  of  at  least  seven- 
ty per  cent  in  the  subject  of  practice  of  bookkeeping  will 
not  be  eligible  for  appointment. 

The  following  table  is  prepared  to  show  the  student 
in  clear  shape  just  what  each  subject  of  the  examina- 
tion is  worth  and  how  to  apportion  time  to  the  various 
subjects  on  the  examination.  It  will  be  valuable  also 


54    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


for  directing  one's  effort  in  preparing  for  the  examina- 
tion. 

SCHEDULE  FOR  APPORTIONMENT  OF  TIME  ON  PREPARATION 
AND  EXAMINATION  FOR  BOOKKEEPER 


Subject 

Value 

Time  one  should 
give  to  subject 
on  examination 

Spelling.  . 

10% 

30  minutes 

Arithmetic  

IS% 

i  hour  30  minutes 

Penmanship     

10% 

See  Note 

Report  writing  . 

i*% 

i  hour 

Luncheon  

10  minutes 

Copying     and      correcting 
manuscript  

10% 

50  minutes 

Practice  of  bookkeeping  .  .  . 

40% 

3  hours 

Totals 

1  00% 

7  hours 

Note. — Graded  on  report  writing. 

On  this  examination,  the  test  in  the  practice  of  book- 
keeping, which  is  the  most  important  subject,  is  usually 
given  last  and  the  value  of  running  on  schedule  time 
cannot  be  too  forcibly  impressed  upon  the  candidate. 
Many  candidates  spend  so  much  time  on  arithmetic  that 
they  do  not  have  enough  for  the  bookkeeping  test. 

You  are  cutting  your  grade  almost  three  to  one  when 
you  rob  time  from  a  subject  worth  forty  per  cent  to 
spend  it  on  one  worth  only  fifteen  per  cent.  Since  your 
penmanship  will  be  graded  from  your  paper  on  report 
writing,  I  have  allowed  extra  time  for  this  subject  so 
that  you  could  take  pains  with  the  appearance  and  legi- 
bility of  the  manuscript  as  well  as  with  its  contents. 

Spelling 

Spelling  is  dictated  by  the  examiner.    The  words  are 

written  by  the  competitor  in  the  blank  spaces  indicated 

on  the  first  sheet  of  the  examination.    All  words  should 


BOOKKEEPER  55 


be  commenced  with  capital  letters.  The  examiner  pro- 
nounces each  word  and  gives  its  definition  as  printed 
below.  The  competitor  is  required  to  write  only  the 
word  and  not  its  definition. 

The  following  words  have  been  used  and  indicate  the 
general  character  of  this  subject: 

Cylinder:  A  long,  round  body.  Promissory:  Contain- 
ing a  promise ;  as,  a  promissory  note.  Essential:  Neces- 
sary or  indispensable.  Discernible:  Apparent  or  visible. 
Opportunity:  A  fit  or  convenient  time.  Deceitful:  False 
or  tricky.  Deference:  Respect  or  regard.  Insertion: 
The  act  of  placing  in;  as,  the  insertion  of  an  advertise- 
ment. Facilitate:  To  make  easy;  as,  to  facilitate  busi- 
ness. Schenectady:  A  city  of  the  United  States.  Adja- 
cent: Lying  near  or  bordering  on.  Souvenir:  A  token  of 
remembrance.  Conceding:  Yielding  or  giving  up;  as, 
conceding  a  point.  Lineage:  Line  of  descent  or  ances- 
try; as,  of  royal  lineage.  Deleterious:  Harmful  or  in- 
jurious; as,  deleterious  to  health.  Horizontal:  On  a 
level.  Patrimony:  An  estate  inherited  from  one's  father. 
Certificate:  A  written  testimony;  as,  a  marriage  certifi- 
cate. Reservoir:  A  place  of  storage;  as,  a  water  reser- 
voir. Privilege:  A  right;  as,  the  privilege  of  voting. 

Arithmetic 

The  arithmetic  given  for  this  examination  is  the  same 
as  that  given  for  the  stenographer  and  typewriter  exam- 
ination. See  solutions  under  heading  of  "Stenographer 
and  Typewriter." 

Penmanship 

This  is  graded  on  your  report-writing  paper.  Be 
careful  with  its  legibility,  neatness  and  general  appear- 
ance and  with  its  correctness  and  uniformity  in  the  for- 
mation of  words,  letters  and  punctuation  marks.  No 
particular  style  of  penmanship  is  preferred.  Neatness 
and  legibility  are  the  principal  characteristics  that  make 
a  good  grade. 


56    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


Report  Writing 

In  this  exercise  the  competitor  is  given  a  loose  state- 
ment of  facts  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  words  in 
length  which  he  is  to  summarize  and  arrange  into  an 
orderly,  concise,  and  grammatical  statement  of  the  es- 
sential facts,  consisting  of  not  more  than  two  hundred 
words. 

This  exercise  is  designed  to  test  the  competitor's 
knowledge  of  simple  English  composition  and  his  general 
intelligence.  In  rating  the  report  its  errors  of  form  and 
address,  spelling,  capitalization,  punctuation,  syntax, 
style,  and  the  arrangement,  conciseness,  and  completeness 
of  the  report  are  considered.  There  is  nothing  peculiar 
about  this  test  and  any  person  with  a  fair  knowledge  of 
English  grammar  can  pass  it.  If  the  candidate  is  not 
confident  that  he  knows  the  simple  working  principles  of 
grammar,  he  should  spend  some  time  in  refreshing  his 
memory  by  reviewing  some  concise  compendium  of 
English  grammar  and  composition. 

Copying  and  Correcting  Manuscript 

Spelling,  use  of  capitals,  and  all  omissions  and  mis- 
takes will  be  taken  into  consideration  in  rating  this  sub- 
ject. The  competitor  is  instructed  to  write  a  corrected 
copy  of  the  manuscript  presented  to  him.  He  must  cor- 
rect all  errors  in  syntax,  spelling,  punctuation,  and  capi- 
talization, and  must  write  in  full,  abbreviated  words,  etc., 
as  indicated.  He  should  not  change  or  paraphrase  the 
language  of  the  copy,  or  insert,  omit  or  modify  words, 
phrases,  or  punctuation  marks,  except  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  correct  errors. 

Care  must  be  taken  to  do  only  what  the  instructions 
call  for  and  to  do  that  with  exactness.  In  such  a  piece 
of  work  the  candidate  has  a  splendid  opportunity  to  show 
his  habit  of  neatness  in  correcting  and  rearranging  a  re- 
vised manuscript. 

On  page  57  is  given  a  sample  exercise : 


BOOKKEEPER  57 


Ly^vi/./rt^ttlWx:. 
_J&LJ&fi&I^ 

/'..xtflUcila^ 

d^AWt^J^-.-fct/UAilfc^^  *. 

-  °-  •  • "  A  'X-^--^^^_- 
!4x:/WJLx.cr>J^.jt£ju — , 

,  -  _  j^*^Vi 

....&«ryyNjU/.iJcL<l^../mAA^ 

-*? . .  _-tv . .  •  .,  0 -<l .  'fl^^^^^Jf^/yv^^^^ 

,^Aur.-Jltj(U>^d8tJL.jfefl  x* 

^yU^AvueJLo^iUA^J^  

C--i2!8uJL^iA^ 


...  .^^MfeJjctL/  JUIAHX^ 
ex 


2^J^ 

_ 

_ 


Solution 

One  of  the  best  and  most  cheerful  signs  of  American  interest 
in  matters  other  than  the  purely  material,  is  the  rapid  increase 
of  artistic  commercial  buildings.  Hotels  are  more  lavishly 
beautified  than  ordinary  business  buildings,  but  this  is  as  it 
should  be,  since  hotels  are  the  only  homes  that  many  persons 
have.  Business  structures,  however,  are  receiving  more  and 
more  attention,  being  now  decorated  to  an  extent  which  seemed 
absurdly  wasteful  not  long  ago. 


58    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

That  a  railway  company  should  introduce  decorative  and 
ceramic  art  into  its  power-house,  for  example,  cannot  result 
in  any  immediate  cash  profit;  yet  that  is  what  one  railway 
company  has  done.  Located  in  the  heart  of  a  dingy  and 
deserted  slum  district,  there  is  a  great  building  of  the  finest 
white  stone  designed  by  one  of  the  best  architects  which 
America  can  claim.  It  is  simple,  though  neither  plain  nor  severe ; 
dignified  and  beautiful,  and  cannot  fail  to  have  an  uplifting 
and  beneficent  effect  upon  the  neighborhood. 


Practice  of  Bookkeeping — Debit  and  Credit 

A  firm  grasp  of  the  principles  of  debit  and  credit  is  so 
fundamentally  essential  to  any  success  in  bookkeeping 
that  the  author  has  thought  it  well  to  precede  any  attempt 
at  the  solution  of  the  problems  with  an  explanation  of 
the  principles  of  debit  and  credit  as  applied  in  the  art  of 
double-entry  bookkeeping.  Upon  the  principles  of  debit 
and  credit  rest  all  the  principles  of  double-entry. 

The  system  of  double-entry  bookkeeping,  so  far  as  can 
be  traced,  appeared  in  Venice  and  Genoa  in  the  four- 
teenth century,  and  was  known  as  the  Method  of  Venice. 
More  than  a  century  later,  in  1494,  a  monk,  Luca  Pacioli, 
published  the  first  treatise  upon  double-entry  bookkeep- 
ing. It  remains  unchanged  in  principle,  and  it  has  been 
changed  in  practice  only  to  save  labor  and  to  meet  the 
different  conditions  under  which  business  is  now  trans- 
acted. 

The  system  of  double-entry  has  become  the  standard 
of  bookkeeping  because  by  its  use,  the  objects  of  book- 
keeping are  accomplished  with  the  least  effort. 

Double-entry  bookkeeping  is  based  upon  the  theory  of 
a  natural  law  of  compensation  or  balance.  In  nature 
there  are  many  instances  of  a  division  of  things  into 
two  parts,  effecting  a  balance  or  equilibrium.  For  exam- 
ple, there  are  two  poles,  north  and  south;  there  is  an 
east  and  west ;  day  and  night ;  male  and  female,  etc. 

This  natural  law  of  balance  or  equilibrium  supplies  the 
fundamental  principle  of  double-entry  bookkeeping.  Con- 
sidering the  first  object  of  bookkeeping,  the  statement  of 
the  ownership  of  values,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  theory  of 
balance  or  equilibrium,  can  be  applied,  for  the  total  of 


BOOKKEEPER  59 


such  net  values  must  equal  the  worth  of  the  owner.  Thus 
in  the  case  of  an  individual  possessing  values  to  the 
extent  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  the  values  and  the  worth 
of  the  owner  constitute  an  equilibrium  as  follows: 

Values  (re-  Worth  of  owner 

sources)    ...$  10,000        (capftal  account)   .  ..$10,000 

Most  bookkeeping  schools  teach  a  lot  of  rules  about 
debit  and  credit,  and  many  times  the  application  of  these 
rules  causes  the  student  much  confusion  and  anguish. 
You  cannot  apply  the  principles  of  double-entry  by  a  set 
of  rules  unless  you  first  understand  the  principles. 

To  start  with  we  debit  resources,  more  properly  called 
assets,  and  credit  liabilities.  The  principle  would  work 
out  just  the  same  as  if  we  did  the  reverse,  but  because 
of  many  years  of  usage  the  practice  has  become  estab- 
lished to  debit  assets  and  credit  liabilities,  instead  of  debit 
liabilities  and  credit  assets. 

Now  with  this  much  clear,  suppose  we  reduce  an  asset, 
as  when  we  pay  out  cash.  An  asset  reduced  has  the 
same  effect  as  a  liability  created  so  we  credit  reduction 
of  assets.  Now  a  reduction  of  a  liability  has  the  same 
effect  as  the  creation  of  an  asset  so  we  debit  the  reduc- 
tion of  a  liability,  as  when  we  pay  accounts  payable  with 
cash,  we  debit  accounts  payable  and  credit  cash. 

We  credit  capital  because  it  is  the  excess  of  assets 
over  liabilities,  and  the  excess  of  the  assets  being  on  the 
debit  side,  we  must  credit  capital  in  order  to  produce  an 
equilibrium.  A  profit  or  gain  is  an  increase  of  capital, 
so  we  credit  profit  or  gain.  An  expense,  cost,  or  loss 
is  a  decrease  of  profit  or  capital,  and  is  just  the  opposite 
of  profit  or  capital,  so  we  debit  an  expense,  cost,  or  a 
loss. 

A  reduction  of  capital  is  just  the  opposite  of  an  in- 
crease of  capital.  Capital  and  all  increases  of  capital 
are  credited,  therefore  a  reduction  of  capital  is  debited. 
There  may  be  a  transfer  entry  on  either  side. 

You  should  go  through  the  above  reasoning  of  why 
things  are  debited  and  credited  until  you  know  it  by 


60    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

heart.  When  you  have  done  this  you  will  never  have 
any  more  trouble  or  doubts  about  debit  and  credit.  You 
will  not  have  to  remember  any  rules.  You  have  mas- 
tered the  principles  and  you  can  answer  questions  about 
debit  and  credit  as  fast  as  they  can  be  given  you. 

A  tabulation  of  the  above  follows  which  will  assist  the 
student  in  getting  it  firmly  fixed  in  mind. 
A  debit  entry  on  an  account  may  show: 

I. — An  asset. 

2. — Reduction  of  a  liability. 

3. — Expense,  cost  or  loss. 

4. — Reduction  of  capital. 
A  credit  entry  on  an  account  may  show: 

I. — A  liability. 

2. — A  reduction  of  an  asset. 

3. — Capital. 

4. — Profit  or  gain. 

(Either  side  may  show  a  transfer.) 
From  the  above  you  can  reason  out  that  an  account 
with  a  debit  balance  is  either  an  asset,  an  expense,  or  a 
combination  of  the  two,  or  a  withdrawal.  You  can  also 
reason  out  that  an  account  with  a  credit  balance  is  either 
CL  liability,  capital,  or  profit. 

First  Exercise 

The  first  exercise  is  given  a  weight  of  2,  and  the  sec- 
ond exercise  a  weight  of  I. 

On  the  blanks  furnished  make  the  necessary  double- 
entry  journal  entries  for  the  transactions  found  in  the 
memoranda  below.  Keep  the  bank  account  separate  from 
the  cash  account.  Make  no  day-book  entries. 

March  i,  1905,  Thomas  Morris  opened  new  books  with 
the  following  resources :  Cash  in  Citizens'  Bank,  $7,800 ; 
cash  in  safe,  $2,687.50;  merchandise,  $4,768;  real  estate, 
$9,750 ;  an  account  against  William  Rose,  $2,360 ;  a  note, 
given  by  James  Wilson  for  $1,287.50,  due  in  six  months 
without  interest,  accounted  at  its  present  worth,  $1,250. 

His  liabilities  were  an  account  due  John  West,  $2,976; 


BOOKKEEPER  61 


a  note  for  $900  due  Arthur  Moore,  accrued  interest  to 
date,  $27.50 ;  an  acceptance  at  fifteen  days  for  $840,  dated 
February  15,  1905,  drawn  upon  him  by  Abraham  Nay  lor 
in  favjr  of  Joseph  Kemp. 

March  2.  Bought  of  Jones  Bros.,  merchandise,  $5,400. 
Gave  in  payment  a  note  at  six  months,  interest,  $90, 
included  in  face  of  note ;  face  of  note,  $3,090.  Balance  on 
account. 

March  6.  Sold  to  Samuel  Aikens  merchandise,  $2,600. 
Received  in  payment  the  acceptance  mentioned  in  liabili- 
ties, $840,  and  a  draft  on  Chase  Chemical  Bank  for  bal- 
ance (not  deposited).  _ 

March  13.  Morris  sold  to  John  Kelso  a  half  interest  in 
the  business  for  $13,000  in  cash.  (Account  the  differ- 
ence between  this  valuation  of  the  business  and  the  valua- 
tion as  shown  by  the  opening  entry  as  good  will.) 

March  18.  Sent  Jones  Bros,  a  draft  at  ten  days'  sight 
drawn  by  us  upon  William  Rose  in  favor  of  Jones  Bros. 
Face  of  draft,  $600. 

March  25.  Bought  of  James  Wilson,  merchandise, 
$2,400.  Gave  in  payment  his  note  mentioned  in  resources. 
Face  of  note,  $1,287.50;  present  worth,  $1,254.87.  Bal- 
ance on  account. 

March  27.  Sold  Jarvis  &  Ox,  merchandise,  $3,600. 
Received  in  payment  a  sight  exchange  for  $800  on  New 
York  accepted  at  ^  per  cent  premium,  and  their  note  at 
twenty  days  for  balance. 

March  29.  Paid  by  check  on  Citizens'  Bank  the  note 
due  Arthur  Moore  mentioned  in  liabilities.  Face  of  note, 
$900;  accrued  interest  to  date,  $31.70. 

March  30.  Discounted  at  the  Citizens'  Bank  our  note 
at  six  months,  and  received  credit  for  proceeds.  Face 
of  note  $800,  discount  $24. 


62    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


SOLUTION 


JOURNAL 


MARCH  i,  1905 


Thomas  Morris  opened  new  books  this 
day   as   sole   trader   with   Assets   and 
Liabilities  as  under: 
Citizens'  Bank  (Cash)  

7,800 
2,687 
4,768 
9,750 
2,360 
1,250 

90 
5,400 

840 
1,760 

2,128 

00 

50 

00 

oo 

00 
00 

oo 

00 

oo 

00 

oo 

2,976 
900 

27 

840 

23,872 

3,090 
2,400 

2,600 

2,128 

oo 
oo 

50 

oo 

00 
00 

oo 

00 

oo 

Cash  (in  safe)  

Merchandise  

Real  Estate  

William  Rose  

Bills  Receivable  (Js.  Wilson)  

To  John  West  

11  Bills  Payable  (A.  Moore) 

44  Accrued  Interest 

"  Bills  Payable  (J.  Kemp) 

"  Thomas  Morris  Capital  Account.  .  . 

Interest  

Merchandise  

To  Bills  Payable  

14  Jonps  Bros  

for  Mdse.  bot.  from  Jones  Bros. 

Bills  Payable  (J.  Kemp)  

Cash  

To  Merchandise  

for  Merchandise  sold. 

Good  will  

To  Thomas  Morris  Capital  Acct.  for 
Good  will  Account  set  up  on  books  prior 
to  admitting  John  Kelso   as  partner 
with  one-half  interest.. 

BOOKKEEPER 


JOURNAL 


MARCH,  1905 


13,000 

600 
2,400 

2,799 
i 
800 

900 

4 
27 

776 
24 

00 

00 
00 

oo 

00 

oo 

00 
20 

50 

00 

oo 

13,000 

600 
1,250 

4 

1,145 
3,600 

931 

800 

00 

00 
00 

87 

13 

00 

70 

00 

13 

To  John  Kelso  

for  one-half  interest  in  business  sold 
for   cash   by   Thomas   Morris.      Cash 
being  paid  in  hand  to  Thomas  Morris 
by  John  Kelso  this  day. 

TO 

Jones  Bros  

To  William  Rose  

for  draft  upon  William  Rose  sent  to 
Jones  Bros. 

Z5 

Merchandise  

To  Bills  Receivable  (Jas.  Wilson)  

"  Interest     

11  James  Wilson 

for  Mdse.  bot.  of  Jas.  Wilson. 

27 
Bills  Receivable  (Jarvis  &  Co.,  20  ds.)  
Exchange  

Cash  

To  Merchandise    

for  Mdse.  sold  Jarvis  &  Co. 

29 

Bills  Payable  (A.  Moore) 

Interest  

Accrued  Interest  

To  Citizens'  Bank  (Cash) 

for  payment  of  note  to  A.  Moore  and 
interest. 

Citizens'  Bank  (Cash)  

Discount  

To  Bills  Payable 

for  note  discounted  at  ban!:. 

64    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


Explanation 

March  i,  Entry. — In  the  opening  entry  all  assets  are 
debited  and  all  liabilities  credited  and  Thomas  Morris, 
the  proprietor,  is  credited  on  his  capital  account  for  the 
excess  of  assets  over  liabilities  which  is  his  net  capital 
investment.  Always  debit  assets  when  received  and 
credit  them  when  disposed  of.  Credit  liabilities  when  in- 
curred and  debit  them  when  they  are  extinguished.  The 
capital  account  is  credited  with  the  capital  investment 
and  this  brings  the  books  into  balance. 

In  entering  a  long  journal  entry  like  the  first  one 
always  add  up  the  debits  and  credits  to  be  sure  that  they 
balance. 

When  you  are  finished  with  one  page  of  journal  entries, 
they  should  always  be  totaled  to  see  that  all  the  debits 
on  that  page  balance  with  the  total  of  the  credits  on  that 
page.  Never  carry  part  of  a  journal  entry  from  one 
page  to  another. 

March  2^  Entry. — Interest  is  debited  because  it  is  an 
expense  incurred.  All  expenses  are  debited  when  they 
are  incurred.  Merchandise  is  debited  because  it  is  an 
asset  received.  Bills  Payable  is  credited  because  it  is  a 
liability  mcurred  and  the  liability  to  Jones  Bros,  is  cred- 
ited for  the  same  reason. 

March  6,  Entry. — Bills  Payable  is  debited  because  it  is 
a  liability  extinguished.  This  liability  was  credited  when 
it  was  incurred.  Now  that  it  is  extinguished,  it  is 
debited  and  that  account,  so  far  as  this  particular  note 
is  concerned,  balances.  Cash  is  debited  because  it  is  an 
asset  received.  All  bank  drafts,  checks,  and  sight  drafts 
are  considered  as  cash  in  bookkeeping.  A  check  is  a 
sight  draft  on  a  bank.  Some  checks  are  printed  in  draft 
form  with  the  name  of  the  bank  addressed  to  in  the 
lower  left-hand  corner.  Other  checks  have  the  name  of 
the  bank,  upon  which  they  are  drawn,  across  the  top. 

March  13,  Entries. — After  a  business  has  been  estab- 
lished and  has  regular  customers,  then,  as  a  going  con- 
cern, with  a  reputation  and  proved  success,  it  is  worth 


BOOKKEEPER  65 


more  than  its  excess  of  assets  over  liabilities.  This  addi- 
tional value  of  a  business  is  represented  on  the  books  by 
an  asset  account  called  Good  Will.  This  is  an  asset  ac- 
count, though  it  represents  an  intangible  asset. 

Now  before  Mr.  Morris  is  willing  to  sell  out  one-half 
of  his  business,  based  on  the  book  value,  he  wants  to 
take  record  of  this  good  will  item  first  so  that  the  new 
partner  may  pay  for  his  half  of  the  good  will  when  ha 
comes  in.  The  amount  of  the  good  will  is  usually  a 
matter  to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  partners.  The 
$13,000  does  not  enter  the  cash  or  bank  account  of  the 
company  because  this  amount  passes  personally  from 
Mr.  Kelso  to  Mr.  Morris.  If,  however,  the  cash  had 
been  paid  into  the  business,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  the 
total  capital  would  have  been  increased  to  $39,000  of 
which  Thomas  Morris  would  have  owned  $26,000  or 
two-thirds  and  John  Kelso  $13,000  or  one-third. 

March  18,  Entry. — Jones  Bros,  is  debited  because  by 
sending  them  a  note  the  partnership  is  reducing  its  liabil- 
ity. William  Rose  is  credited  because  he  is  being  drawn 
upon  for  money  and  his  liability  to  us  which  is  our  asset 
is  being  reduced. 

March  25,  Entry. — Merchandise  is  debited  because  it 
is  an  asset  received.  Bills  Receivable  is  credited  because 
it  is  an  asset  reduced.  Interest  is  credited  because  it  is 
a  profit  earning.  All  earnings  are  credited.  They  are 
just  the  opposite  from  expenses  which  are  debited  as 
incurred.  The  amount  of  this  credit  measures  part  of 
the  merchandise  on  the  other  side.  Since  capital  is 
credited  in  the  first  place  all  increases  in  capital  which 
result  from  interest  and  from  trading,  etc.,  must  be 
credited.  When  the  books  are  closed  all  these  credits 
are  transferred  to  profit  and  loss  where  they  are  offset 
by  the  expenses  and  the  net  gain  or  loss  is  transferred 
to  capital  account.  James  Wilson  is  credited  because 
the  company  has  incurred  a  liability  to  him. 

March  27,  Entry. — Bills  Receivable  is  debited  because 
it  is  an  asset  received.  Exchange  is  debited  because  it 
is  an  expense  incurred.  Cash  is  debited  because  it  is 
an  asset  received.  New  York  Exchange  is  considered 


66    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

the  same  as  cash.  Merchandise  is  credited  because  it  is 
an  asset  reduced. 

March  29,  Entry. — Bills  Payable  is  debited  because  it 
is  a  liability  reduced.  Interest  is  debited  because  it  is  an 
expense  incurred.  Accrued  Interest  is  debited  because 
it  is  a  liability  reduced.  Citizens'  Bank  is  credited  be- 
cause it  is  an  asset  reduced. 

March  30,  Entry. — Citizens'  Bank  is  debited  because 
it  is  an  asset  (cash)  increased.  Discount  is  debited  be- 
cause it  is  an  expense  incurred.  Bills  Payable  is  credited 
because  it  is  a  liability  incurred. 

Second  Exercise 

From  the  data  given  below  make  out  a  balance  sheet 
which  shall  include  a  trial  balance,  the  inventory,  and 
statement  of  losses  and  gains,  proprietors'  accounts,  and 
resources  and  liabilities. 

On  March  I,  1905,  Charles  Martin  had  on  hand  as  per 
inventory  merchandise,  $5,400;  real  estate,  $7,600;  un- 
used office  stationery,  $20.75.  The  balance  of  the  cash 
account,  as  shown  by  the  ledger  was  $3,640,  and  the 
balance  of  the  bills  payable  account  was  $2,365.  The 
footings  of  the  other  ledger  accounts  were  as  follows : 

Debit  footings:  Charles  Martin  (proprietor),  $970; 
Merchandise,  $12,800;  Real  Estate,  $8,000;  Traders' 
Bank,  $4,780.25;  Bills  Receivable,  $4,620;  Expense, 
$90.25;  Interest  and  Discount,  $148.60;  Joshua  Miller, 
$2,897.50. 

Credit  footings:  Charles  Martin  (proprietor), 
$6,797.85;  Merchandise,  $7,800;  Real  Estate,  $120; 
Traders'  Bank,  $3,600;  Bills  Receivable,  $3,640.75;  In- 
terest and  Discount,  $197.80;  Joshua  Miller,  $ 

(amount  to  be  supplied  by  the  competitor). 

The  following  statement  is  the  kind  the  Commission 
wants  you  to  prepare  in  answer  to  this  question.  So 
give  them  what  they  want  if  you  would  succeed.  The 
first  pair  of  columns  is  your  trial  balance.  In  making 
up  this  trial  balance  the  author  has  put  down  the  net 
balance  of  the  respective  accounts  instead  of  putting 


BOOKKEEPER 


67 


down  the  debit  and  credit  footings  of  each  account  where 
given.  Either  way  would  be  mathematically  correct,  and 
would  give  the  same  results.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  all  bookkeeping  statements  are  prepared 
for  the  purpose  of  conveying  information  to  someone, 
usually  the  manager  of  the  business,  and  the  statements 
should  always  be  in  the  most  readable  and  convenient 
form.  It  should  never  be  necessary  for  the  reader  to 
perform  any  mental  calculations  in  order  to  arrive  at 
any  of  the  facts  intended  to  be  conveyed. 

If  the  debit  and  credit  footings  were  put  down  the 
reader  would  have  to  make  a  mental  calculation  to  see 
what  the  net  balance  was. 

The  last  amount  in  the  trial  balance  is  not  given.  The 
competitor  must  fill  this  amount  in  and  it  must  be  an 
amount  that  will  put  the  trial  balance  in  balance. 

SOLUTION 


ACCOUNTS 

TRIAL 
BALANCE 

LOSSES   AND 
GAINS 

RESOURCES    AMI 
LIABILITIES 

Debit 

Credit 

Losses 

Gains 

Resour- 
ces 

Liabil 
ities 

Charles  Martin,  Prop. 
Merchandise      

5,000 
7,880 
1,180 
979 
90 

3,640 

00 

00 

25 
25 
25 

00 

5,827 

49 

2,365 
10,527 

85 

20 
00 

70 

280 
69 

oo 
50 

400 
49 

oo 

20 

5.400 
7,600 
1,180 
979 
30 

3,640 

00 
00 
25 

25 

75 

00 

2,365 
10,527 

Real  Estate 

Traders'  Bank  
Bills  Receivable  

Interest  and  Discount 
Cash 

Bills  Payable  

Joshua  Miller  

TOTALS  

18.769 

75 

18,769 

75 

349 
99 

50 
70 

449 

20 
20 

85 
70 

18,820 

2S 

12,892 
5.927 

Net  Gain  

Charles  Martin,  Prop. 
Credit  Balance  
Net  Gain  as  above 

New  Balance  

449 

20 

449 

5,827 
99 

18,820 

25 

=. 

18,820 

The  amounts  shown  in  italic  figures  should  be  in  red  to  denote  inventories. 


68    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

Before  you  start  to  determine  the  amount  of  this  last 
account,  you  should  first  check  carefully  over  the  other 
amounts  which  you  have  put  down,  to  be  sure  that  they 
are  all  correct  for  if  you  have  left  out  one  or  made  any 
error  in  entering  one,  then  your  last  amount  will  be 
incorrect  and  the  whole  outcome  as  to  profit  or  loss  may 
be  radically  changed  thereby. 

Do  not  attempt  to  make  the  rulings  for  this  or  any 
other  statement  with  ink.  It  takes  too  much  time  and  a 
hard  pencil  will  do  just  as  well.  After  the  rulings  are 
made,  the  writing  should  be  in  ink. 

After  you  have  completed  trial  balance,  then  proceed 
to  enter  the  inventories  in  the  "Resources"  column  with 
red  ink.  Since  the  merchandise  account  is  charged  with 
only  $5,000  on  the  ledger  and  since  the  inventory  shows 
$5,400,  the  business  has  gained  $400  on  merchandise  and 
that  is  entered  in  the  "Gains"  column.  Since  the  Real 
Estate  account  is  charged  with  $7,880  and  the  inventory 
shows  on  hand  only  $7,600,  the  business  has  lost  $280 
on  Real  Estate. 

Expense  is  charged  with  $90.25  but  the  inventory 
shows  on  hand  some  office  supplies  worth  $20.75.  The 
balance  represents  a  loss  of  $69.50  and  is  entered  in  the 
"Loss"  column. 

Interest  and  Discount  being  on  the  credit  side  shows 
a  gain  and  is  entered  in  the  "Gains"  column. 

When  the  "Losses  and  Gains"  columns  are  totaled  up 
it  is  found  that  the  gains  exceed  the  losses  by  $99.70  and 
this  is  the  net  gain.  If  the  "Losses"  column  were  the 
largest  the  difference  would  be  a  loss  and  would  be 
entered  in  the  "Gains"  column  to  bring  the  two  columns 
to  balance. 

We  will  now  extend  the  "Resources  and  Liabilities" 
columns.  We  already  have  the  inventories  in  the  "Re- 
sources" column  and  they  are  the  new  balances  of  these 
accounts.  The  other  Resources  shown  in  the  Trial  Bal- 
ance are  extended  in  the  "Resources"  column  and  the 
liabilities  extended  in  the  "Liabilities"  column. 

It  will  be  noted  that  every  item  of  the  Trial  Balance, 
except  the  proprietor's  account  has  been  extended  either 


TYPEWRITER  69 


in  the  "Losses  and  Gains"  columns  or  the  "Resources  and 
Liabilities"  columns.  Every  item  of  Trial  Balance  is 
always  a  loss,  a  gain,  a  resource,  or  a  liability,  except  the 
proprietor's  account.  It  measures  the  difference  between 
the  resources  and  liabilities  and  represents  the  owner- 
ship of  the  business. 

The  net  gain  is  added  to  the  proprietor's  account  at 
the  bottom  of  the  statement,  and  it  is  then  extended  in 
the  "Liabilities"  column  to  balance.  This  leaves  the  whole 
statement  in  balance. 

If  all  three  pairs  of  columns  do  not  balance,  you  have 
made  a  mistake  in  the  work.  Your  trial  balance  should 
always  be  in  balance  before  you  proceed  further  with  the 
work. 

Typewriter 

The  typewriter  examination  offers  an  opportunity  for 
those  students  to  enter  the  service,  who  are  not  very 
speedy  in  shorthand. 

You  can  speed  up  on  your  typewriting  which  can  be 
acquired  sooner  and  easier  than  shorthand.  You  can 
pass  the  examination  for  typewriter  and  after  you  get 
appointed  you  can  then  continue  your  shorthand  and, 
when  competent,  take  the  next  examination  for  stenog- 
rapher right  in  Washington  or  wherever  you  happen  to 
be  employed. 

The  time  allowed  for  this  examination  is  five  hours. 

The  following  table  shows  the  subjects  of  the  exam- 
ination and  their  relative  value  on  a  scale  of  one  hun- 
dred. It  has  been  prepared  to  show  the  student  just  how 
much  time  should  be  allowed  to  each  subject  on  examin- 
ation. It  will  be  of  great  assistance  also  in  directing 
one's  effort  in  preparing  for  the  examination. 

It  will  be  noted  that  thirty-five  minutes  have  been 
allowed  for  the  first  three  subjects  in  the  table.  Consider- 
ing their  importance  based  on  their  relative  value,  one 
would  be  justified  in  spending  more  time  on  these  but 
for  the  fact  that  speed  on  these  subjects  is  valued 
at  thirty  per  cent  of  the  examination  as  "Time  on 


70    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  !€IVIL  SERVICE 


Typewriting,"  and  in  order  to  make  one  hundred  on 
speed  one  must  complete  the  three  tests  in  thirty  minutes. 
The  candidate  should,  therefore,  execute  them  with  all 
the  speed  possible. 

SCHEDULE  FOR  APPORTIONMENT  OF  TIME  ON  PREPARATION 
AND   EXAMINATION   FOR   TYPEWRITER 


Subject 

Value 

Time  one  should 
give  to  subject 
on  examination 

Copying  and  spacing  

20% 

15  minutes 

Copying  from  rough  draft  .  . 
Copying  from  plain  copy  .  .  . 
L/uncheon 

15% 

10% 

10  minutes 
10  minutes 
10  minutes 

Time  on  typewriting 

30% 

See  Note  No  i 

Penmanship 

10% 

See  Note  No  2 

Report  writing  

10% 

2  hours 

Arithmetic  

r% 

2  hrs.  15  minutes 

Totals  .  .   . 

I  OO% 

c  hours 

Note  I. — Graded  from  your  speed  on  the  three  typewriting  sub- 
jects. 

Note  2. — Graded  from  your  work  on  report  writing. 

Time  consumed  will  be  rated  according  to  the  follow- 
ing scale :  If  the  competitor  consumes  only  thirty  min- 
utes on  the  three  typewriting  subjects,  he  will  be  credited 
with  one  hundred.  When  the  time  consumed  is  more 
than  thirty  minutes  and  not  more  than  fifty  minutes,  one 
will  be  deducted  from  one  hundred  for  every  minute  con- 
sumed more  than  thirty  minutes.  When  the  time  con- 
sumed is  more  than  fifty  minutes  and  not  more  than 
fifty-eight  minutes,  two  will  be  deducted  from  eighty  for 
every  minute  consumed  more  that  fifty  minutes.  When 
the  time  consumed  is  more  than  fifty-eight  minutes  and 
not  more  than  sixty-seven  minutes,  three  will  be  de- 
ducted from  sixty-four  for  every  minute  consumed  more 
than  fifty-eight  minutes.  When  the  time  consumed  is 
more  than  sixty-seven  minutes  and  not  more  than  seventy 


CLERK  71 


minutes,  four  will  be  deducted  from  thirty-seven  for  each 
minute  consumed  more  than  sixty-seven  minutes.  When 
the  time  consumed  is  more  than  seventy  minutes,  no 
credit  will  be  given  for  time,  and  it  will  be  impossible  for 
the  competitor  to  make  an  eligible  average  percentage  on 
the  typewriting  subjects. 

No  time  is  considered  on  the  subjects  of  report  writing 
and  arithmetic.  You  can,  therefore,  spend  all  the  balance 
of  your  five  hours  on  these  subjects. 

Your  penmanship  will  be  graded  from  the  writing  on 
the  report-writing  paper,  so  be  very  careful  with  this 
subject.  No  particular  style  of  penmanship  is  preferred 
but  aim  to  make  it  neat  and  legible. 

Since  the  arithmetic  is  only  worth  five  per  cent  of  the 
examination,  you  should  not  let  these  problems  detract 
from  your  best  efforts  on  the  other  subjects.  If  you 
made  a  perfect  grade  on  all  the  other  subjects,  you 
would  have  an  average  of  ninety-five  per  cent  without 
trying  the  arithmetic  at  all.  You  are  graded  on  your 
general  average  and  complete  failure  in  a  minor  subject 
would  not  debar  you. 

Spelling  will  be  considered  in  grading  typewriting 
papers. 

The  subject  of  typewriting  is  fully  covered  under  the 
heading  of  stenographer  and  typewriter.  The  solutions 
to  all  the  subjects  of  the  examination  are  given  under 
that  heading  and  the  student  interested  in  the  typewriter 
examination  should  read  carefully  all  that  is  printed 
under  the  heading  of  "Stenographer  and  Typewriter"  in 
this  chapter. 

Clerk 

Through  this  examination  a  person  without  business 
training  or  experience  may  get  into  the  civil  service. 

Almost  any  person  of  high  school  education  can  pass 
this  examination.  Some  who  have  not  a  high  school 
training  manage  to  pass  it. 

Eligibles  resulting  from  this  examination  will  be  certi- 
fied for  appointment  in  the  departments  and  independ- 
ent offices  at  Washington,  D.  C,  only.  Persons  who 


72    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


desire  appointment  to  clerical  positions  in  offices  outside 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  should  apply  for  information  and 
application  blanks  to  the  secretary  of  the  civil  service 
district  in  whose  territory  they  desire  employment. 

Competitors  who  fail  to  attain  a  rating  of  at  least 
seventy  per  cent  in  arithmetic  or  sixty-five  per  cent 
in  report  writing  will  not  be  eligible  for  appointment  and 
the  remaining  subjects  of  the  examination  will  not  be 
considered.  Time  allowed  for  this  examination  is  five 
hours. 

SCHEDULE  FOR  APPORTIONMENT  OF  TIME  ON  PREPARATION 
AND   EXAMINATION   FOR   CLERK 


Subject 

Value 

Time  one  should 
give  to  subject 
on  examination 

Spelling 

10% 

30  minutes 

Arithmetic 

2C% 

2   hours 

Penmanship      

ic% 

See  Note 

Luncheon          

10  minutes 

Report  writing..           .    ... 

25% 

i  hour 

Copying    and    correcting 
manuscript  

15% 

40  minutes 

Geography  and  Civil  Gov- 
ernment   of    the    United 
States  

10% 

40  minutes 

Totals 

100% 

5  hours 

Note. — Graded  on  report-writing  paper.. 

The  following  questions  and  tests,  which  have  been 
used,  indicate  the  general  character  of  the  subjects  of 
this  examination.  As  far  as  possible,  the  answers  and 
solutions  are  given  with  each  subject. 

Arithmetic 

As  stated  previously,  the  candidate  must  make  a  rating 
of  at  least  seventy  per  cent  on  arithmetic  in  order  to  pass 
this  examination. 

It  is  desired  to  impress  the  student  for  the  clerk's 
examination  with  the  importance  of  studying  arithmetic 


CLERK  73 

very  assiduously.  More  candidates  fail  on  arithmetic 
than  on  any  other  subject.  This  subject  is  very  impor- 
tant. It  is  the  principal  subject  of  this  examination,  and 
is  worth  twenty-five  per  cent  though  it  is  a  minor  subject 
and  worth  only  five  per  cent  on  other  examinations. 
Many  persons  deceive  themselves  about  their  ability  to 
handle  simple  problems  in  arithmetic  with  speed.  The 
arithmetic  as  well  as  other  subjects,  is  practically  the 
same  each  time  in  that  it  covers  the  same  field  of  topics. 
If  you  will  study  carefully  these  sample  questions  and 
the  subjects  which  they  involve,  there  will  be  little  diffi- 
culty in  passing  the  examination. 

The  arithmetic  examination  is  the  same  as  that  given 
for  stenographer  and  typewriter.  Pull  solutions  to  all 
problems  will  be  found  in  the  division  of  this  chapter 
dealing  with  the  stenographer  and  typewriter  examina- 
tion. 

Penmanship 

The  rating  on  penmanship  will  be  determined  by  legi- 
bility, rapidity,  neatness,  and  general  appearance,  and  by 
correctness  and  uniformity  in  the  formation  of  words, 
letters,  and  punctuation  marks  in  the  exercise  of  the 
fourth  subject — report  writing.  No  particular  style  of 
penmanship  is  preferred. 

Report   Writing 

In  this  exercise  the  competitor  is  given  a  loose  state- 
ment of  facts,  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  words  in 
length,  which  he  is  to  summarize  and  arrange  into  a 
logical  and  complete  report  in  the  form  of  a  letter  of 
not  more  than  two  hundred  words. 

This  exercise  is  designed  to  test  the  competitor's 
knowledge  of  simple  English  composition  and  his  general 
intelligence.  In  rating  the  report,  its  errors  of  form  and 
address,  spelling,  capitalization,  punctuation,  syntax,  and 
style,  and  the  arrangement,  conciseness,  and  complete- 
ness of  the  report  are  considered. 

Do  not  forget  that  you  must  make  sixty-five  per  cent 
on  this  subject  and  that  it  is  second  in  importance  only 
to  the  arithmetic. 


74    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

Copying  and  Correcting  Manuscript 

This  examination  is  the  same  as  the  one  given  for 
bookkeeping  (see  page  56  for  sample  of  this  examination 
with  solution). 

Geography  and  Civil  Government  of  the  United  States 

Do  not  add  to  an  answer  anything  that  is  not  required 
by  the  question;  for  example,  do  not  name  four  states 
when  asked  to  name  three.  An  unnecessary  addition  to 
an  answer  receives  no  credit  if  correct,  and  is  charged 
as  an  error  if  incorrect.  If  you  desire  to  correct  an 
answer,  draw  a  pen  through  the  part  to  be  rejected  and 
write  the  part  correctly. 

I. — Name  states  as  follows:  Two  which  border  Florida 
on  the  north ;  two  which  border  Colorado  on  the  north ; 
two  which  border  New  York  on  the  east;  two  which 
border  Wisconsin  on  the  west ;  one  which  borders  Oregon 
on  the  north ;  one  which  borders  New  Hampshire  on  the 
east.  2. — Name:  The  largest  two  rivers  which  border 
on  Kentucky;  the  largest  two  lakes  which  border  on 
Michigan;  the  largest  two  sounds  on  the  coast  of  North 
Carolina;  the  two  bodies  of  water  which  the  Niagara 
River  connects;  a  river  which  borders  on  Nevada;  the 
river  on  which  Omaha  is  situated.  3. — In  what  state  is 
each  of  the  following-named  prominent  cities  located? 
Asheville,  Trinidad,  Amsterdam,  Findlay,  Lynchburg, 
Sedalia,  Walla  Walla,  Keene,  Macon,  Superior.  4. — (a) 
How  are  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  appointed? 
(b)  How  many  amendments  have  been  added  to  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States?  5. —  (a)  Name  two 
ways  in  which  a  bill  may  become  a  law  without  the 
president's  signature,  (b)  Name  the  following  officials: 
Speaker  of  the  National  House  of  Representatives ;  Chief 
Justice  of  the  United  States;  Secretary  of  State. 

Answers 

I. — Georgia  and  Alabama;  Nebraska  and  Wyoming; 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut ;  Minnesota  and  Iowa ; 
Washington;  Maine. 


CLERK  75 


2. — The  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio ;  Lake  Superior  and 
Lake  Michigan ;  Pamlico  Sound  and  Albemarle  Sound ; 
Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Ontario;  Colorado  River;  Mis- 
souri River. 

3. — Asheville,  North  Carolina;  Trinidad,  Colorado; 
Amsterdam,  New  York ;  Findlay,  Ohio ;  Lynchburg,  Vir- 
ginia; Sedalia,  Missouri;  Walla  Walla,  Washington; 
Keene,  New  Hampshire;  Macon,  Georgia;  Superior, 
Wisconsin. 

4. — (a)  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  are  appointed  by  the  president  and  confirmed  by 
the  senate,  (b)  Seventeen  amendments. 

5. — (a)  First,  by  veto  of  the  president  and  a  subse- 
quent affirmative  vote  of  two-thirds  of  both  houses  of 
Congress.  Second,  when  a  bill  is  sent  to  the  president 
for  signature  and  he  fails  to  sign  or  veto  it  within  ten 
days  while  the  Congress  is  in  session,  then  such  bill 
becomes  law  without  the  president's  signature,  (b) 
Speaker  of  the  National  House  of  Representatives, 
Champ  Clark;  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  Ed- 
ward Douglas  White ;  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United 
States,  Robert  H.  Lansing. 

In  preparing  this  subject  you  should  first  secure  a 
modern  geography  of  the  United  States,  a  primer  dealing 
with  the  civil  government  of  the  United  States  and  a 
copy  of  the  latest  Congressional  Directory. 

The  first  two  books  may  be  purchased  at  almost  any 
book  store  handling  textbooks.  The  third  one  may  be 
obtained  by  writing  a  postal  card  to  the  Superintendent 
of  Documents,  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington, 
D.  C.  State  that  you  want  a  copy  of  the  latest  Congres- 
sional Directory  and  ask  the  price.  You  will  receive 
price  and  full  instructions  as  to  how  to  remit.  The  public 
printer  is  authorized  to  sell  public  documents  at  cost  and 
the  price  may  vary  from  time  to  time. 

The  quickest,  easiest,  and  the  most  thorough  method 
of  learning  the  geography  is  by  learning  to  draw  a  com- 
plete map  of  the  United  States  from  memory  putting  in 
all  the  principal  rivers,  lakes,  harbors,  sounds  and  cities. 

This  may  seem  rather  difficult  at  first  but  it  can  be 


76    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

accomplished  in  a  few  weeks  with  persistent  effort.  First 
draw  the  New  England  states.  There  are  only  six  of 
them  and  they  can  be  mastered  in  a  short  time. 

When  you  can  draw  these  states  correctly,  then  take 
up  the  Middle  Atlantic  states.  They  are  seven  in  num- 
ber and  when  considered  separately  are  not  hard  to  learn 
to  draw. 

After  these  two  groups  have  been  mastered  separately, 
then  draw  them  together,  and  then  in  like  manner  add  to 
your  map  in  the  order  named,  the  Southern  states,  the 
Eastern  Central  states,  the  Western  Central  states,  the 
Northern  Pacific  states,  and  the  Southern  Pacific  states. 

As  you  are  learning  this  map  you  should  study  the 
relative  longitude  and  latitude  of  the  various  states.  The 
states  included  in  the  several  groups  mentioned  will  be 
found  in  your  geography.  If  your  geography  should 
follow  a  classification  somewhat  different  to  the  one  out- 
lined above,  then  follow  the  classification  of  your  text- 
book. 

The  way  the  states  are  grouped  is  not  important  but 
the  principle  of  learning  them  by  groups,  and  gradually 
adding  each  group  to  your  map  until  you  can  draw  them 
all  together  is  very  important. 

You  should  get  practically  all  you  need  in  the  way  of 
civil  government  out  of  the  textbook  on  that  subject, 
by  reading  it  through  carefully  and  answering  the  ques- 
tions at  the  end  of  each  chapter. 

With  regard  to  the  present  incumbents  of  public  offices, 
you  will  get  all  of  that  and  a  lot  of  other  information 
about  civil  government  out  of  the  Congressional  Direc- 
tory. 

Your  general  knowledge  gained  from  the  daily  news- 
papers ought  to  enable  you  to  answer  most  of  the  ques- 
tions about  the  persons  holding  certain  national  offices. 

With  the  proper  study  as  outlined  above  this  examina- 
tion will  be  easy  to  you.  It  takes  only  a  very  short  time 
to  write  the  answers  if  you  know  them  well. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  OPPORTUNITY  THAT  THE  FEDERAL   CIVIL 
SERVICE  OFFERS 

The  Permanency  of  the  Civil  Service 

The  Federal  Civil  Service  is  a  thing  of  permanency  as 
shown  by  the  following  table  of  its  growth,  which  covers 
nine  administrations  of  different  political  faiths: 

Year  Employees 

1883  13,789 

1885  15,573 

1889  29,650 

1893  42,741 

1897 87,108 

1901  108,067 

1905   i7I»8o7 

1909  234,940 

1913    282,597 

That  the  civil  service  principle  has  the  support  of 
public  opinion  is  shown  by  the  facts  that  it  has  been 
accepted  and  proclaimed  in  all  recent  national  party  plat- 
forms ;  that  nine  states  have  adopted  it  for  their  execu- 
tive services,  and  that  it  is  incorporated  in  the  charters 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  cities. 

Appointing  officers  unite  in  its  support  as  the  most 
important  factor  in  the  efficient  performance  of  public 
business.  Thirty  years  ago  decried  as  an  impossible  ideal, 
an  impractical  theory,  and  put  in  operation  in  only  a 
tentative  way,  the  system  stands  to-day  firmly  established 
on  a  basis  of  actual  accomplishment. 

During  the  year  ended  June  30,  1913,  35,154  persons 
were  appointed,  transferred,  or  promoted,  upon  examina- 

77 


78    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

tion  to  positions  in  the  competitive  classified  service  of 
the  Federal  Government,  and  2,672  persons  were  trans- 
ferred, promoted,  or  reinstated  without  further  examina- 
tion. Including  appointments  to  the  Philippine  service, 
to  positions  of  mere  unskilled  labor,  and  also  temporary 
appointments,  38,713  appointments  were  made  as  the 
result  of  competition. 

There  were  approximately  two  thousand  persons  ap- 
pointed to  the  Departmental  Service  at  Washington  dur- 
ing 1914.  This  is  at  the  rate  of  over  six  persons  a  day. 
Think  of  these  good  positions  that  are  being  handed  out 
every  day !  You  might  just  as  well  be  one  of  the  persons 
receiving  one  of  them. 

No  Political  Influence  Needed 

You  need  absolutely  no  political  influence  or  "pull." 
The  only  thing  you  need  to  obtain  one  of  the  positions 
for  you  is  preparation  for  the  examination. 

The  civil  service  law  requires  that,  as  nearly  as  the 
conditions  of  good  administration  will  warrant,  appoint- 
ments to  positions  in  the  departments  at  Washington 
shall  be  apportioned  among  the  several  states  and  terri- 
tories and  the  District  of  Columbia  upon  the  basis  of 
population  as  ascertained  at  the  last  preceding  census. 

People  living  in  the  states  far  distant  from  Washing- 
ton are  not  so  well  informed  of  the  good  positions  open 
to  them  as  those  who  live  nearer.  This  accounts  for 
the  fact  that  those  living  near  have  used  up  their  quota 
and  those  living  at  a  distance  are  entitled  to  preference 
in  appointment. 

Hours  of  Labor 

Practically  all  of  the  government  positions  at  Wash- 
ington require  only  seven  hours  of  labor  each  day.  The 
hours  are  from  9  A.  M.  to  4:30  P.  M.  with  one-half 
hour  for  luncheon.  During  summer  months  all  depart- 
ments close  at  i  P.  M.  on  Saturdays.  All  employees  are 
allowed  thirty  days'  annual  vacation  with  full  pay.  This 


OPPORTUNITIES  79 

leave  is  counted  as  thirty  working  days,  and  by  excluding 
all  the  Sundays,  Saturday  afternoons,  and  holidays  that 
may  be  counted  while  one  is  off  duty,  the  actual  vacation 
amounts  to  about  five  weeks  with  full  pay. 

In  most  of  the  departments  this  vacation  may  be  taken 
in  any  number  of  short  periods  of  a  day,  half  day,  or  a 
few  days  that  one  may  desire.  This  makes  possible 
many  short  trips  in  summer  to  New  York,  Atlantic  City, 
Philadelphia,  Annapolis,  No'rfolk,  etc.  Some  students 
take  part  of  their  vacation  time  to  study  for  examinations 
at  the  close  of  school. 

It  also  makes  possible  the  frequent  short  rests  from 
work  that  many  women  need  for  their  best  health  and 
happiness  without  the  loss  of  pay. 

The  government  service  is  ideal  employment  for 
women,  in  many  ways.  It  is  in  cultured  and  refined  sur- 
roundings; it  is  light  and  pays  them  much  better  than 
business.  Many  of  the  women  in  the  government  serv- 
ice receive  one  hundred  dollars  a  month  and  some  hold 
positions  which  pay  salaries  as  high  as  two  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars  a  year. 

In  addition  to  the  above  all  employees  are  allowed  full 
pay  for  sickness  to  the  extent  of  thirty  days  each  year. 

Government  Work  Different  from  Commercial  Work 

Employment  in  the  government  service  is  vastly  dif- 
ferent from  the  employment  offered  by  business  insti- 
tutions organized  for  profit.  The  hard  struggle  for  suc- 
cess in  the  business  world  where  competition  crushes  the 
inefficient,  forces  most  employers  to  crowd  into  the  day's 
work  of  each  employee  as  much  work  as  that  employee 
can  possibly  handle  efficiently.  There  are  very  few  easy 
jobs  in  the  commercial  world.  A  person  must  deliver  a 
service  equal  or  greater  in  commercial  value  than  the 
price  he  collects;  and  that  commercial  value  is  deter- 
mined by  the  lowest  price  that  the  same  service  could  be 
bought  elsewhere. 

Business  is  unsympathetic  and  heartless.  It  buys  what 
it  wants  from  him  who  can  supply  the  demand  at  the 


80    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

lowest  possible  price.  If  a  male  stenographer  gets  fifteen 
dollars  a  week  for  work  that  a  woman  can  and  will  do 
just  as  well  for  ten  dollars  a  week,  she  gets  the  job. 

In  the  federal  service,  there  is  not  the  striving  for 
profits  which  drives  men  and  women  to  long  hard  days 
of  labor,  and  consequently  the  employees  take  their  time. 

A  Woman  s  Opportunities 

To  women  the  Federal  Civil  Service  affords  excellent 
opportunities  for  the  proper  development  and  expression 
of  their  social  life.  There  are  many  well-known  young 
women's  colleges  at  Washington,  and  a  very  large  per 
cent  of  those  who  attend  these  colleges  go  there  because 
of  the  unsurpassed  social  and  educational  advantages 
that  come  to  every  woman  of  taste  and  culture  who  lives 
in  the  National  Capital  for  any  length  of  time. 

It  should  be  a  part  of  the  education  of  every  woman 
to  be  charming  and  graceful  in  her  manner,  and  in  Wash- 
ington the  woman  engaged  in  government  service  will 
have  opportunity  to  correct  and  improve  her  personality 
from  observation  and  study. 

Since  personality  is  one  of  the  strongest  forces  in  the 
world,  surely  its  perfect  development  should  engage  the 
most  earnest  attention  of  every  woman.  By  making  use 
of  the  opportunities  at  Washington  she  may  acquire 
practice  in  easy  and  graceful  hospitality. 

Women  in  the  government  service  may,  upon  request 
from  the  congressmen  representing  their  districts  at 
home,  and  without  obligating  themselves  in  any  way, 
have  their  names  placed  on  the  lists  of  those  invited  to 
receptions  and  other  social  functions  at  the  White  House, 
where  they  may  meet  the  great  men  of  our  own  and 
other  nations.  They  may  visit  Congress  and  have  a  prac- 
tical demonstration  of  how  our  laws  are  made. 

Many  noted  individuals  of  the  United  States  come  to 
Washington,  and  the  opportunity  to  meet  many  of  them 
offers  itself  from  time  to  time. 

Washington  being  the  capital  of  the  nation,  there  is 
much  of  national  interest  going  on  there  all  the  time. 
When  you  read  the  weekly  magazines  you  may  see  pic- 


OPPORTUNITIES 81 

tures  and  stories  of  great  events  that  you  may  have  al- 
ready seen  rwith  your  own  eyes. 

This  develops  in  you  a  keener  interest  in  what  is  going 
on  everywhere,  than  you  ever  had  before.  You  begin 
to  read  more  and  take  a  deeper  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  life.  And  before  you  know  it,  you  are  a  person  well 
posted  on  all  the  current  events  of  the  day,  and  well  in- 
formed about  the  national  characters  whose  names  you 
see  so  often  in  current  periodicals. 

To  live  in  an  environment  that  makes  easy  the  expres- 
sion of  a  woman's  best  self ;  to  work  amid  cheerful  sur- 
roundings and  associations  of  refinement ;  to  have  placed 
before  one  the  best  things  of  life ;  to  learn  to  love  good 
books;  to  appreciate  the  best  in  music  and  art,  and  to 
understand  some  of  the  mysteries  of  the  world  in  which 
we  live,  are  possibilities  which  throw  themselves  in  the 
path  of  the  woman  in  the  government  service  at  Wash- 
ington. 

There  are  many  women,  young  and  old,  who  came  to 
Washington  perfect  strangers  to  take  their  positions,  and 
who  have  no  relatives  near.  A  young  woman  is  abso- 
lutely safe  in  going  to  Washington  alone  to  accept  civil 
service  employment.  She  will  meet  most  cordial  peo- 
ple at  the  office  where  she  works  and  some  of  the  ladies 
of  the  office  will  be  glad  to  direct  her  to  a  suitable  place 
to  board.  The  Y.  W.  C.  A.  maintains  a  large  register 
of  approved  boarding  and  rooming  houses  of  varying 
prices. 

In  many  small  towns  and  some  large  ones,  a  woman 
who  comes  to  town  alone  is  looked  upon  with  more  or 
less  suspicion  as  to  her  moral  character,  but  in  Wash- 
ington, there  is  not  a  single  trace  of  any  such  feelings 
towards  women  who  come  there  alone  to  work  for  the 
Government.  The  women  in  the  government  service  at 
Washington  are  accorded  highest  respect. 

A  happy  marriage  is  the  birthright  and  rightful  des- 
tiny of  every  woman  and  a  little  more  conscious  con- 
sideration on  her  part  of  her  opportunities  to  meet  the 
right  kind  of  companion  would  result  in  more  happiness 
in  the  world. 


82    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

The  opportunities  open  to  women  at  Washington  in- 
clude wide  range  of  acquaintance  with  young  men  of 
high  ideals  and  bright  futures.  The  various  departments 
of  the  Government  attract  many  men  from  the  universi- 
ties, and  the  young  man  who  is  ambitious  and  has  ability 
to  go  through  college  while  in  the  government  service, 
is  the  type  of  fellow  that  achieves  success  in  time.  There 
are  hundreds  of  such  men  in  Washington.  They  come 
from  every  state  in  the  Union  and  use  the  government 
service  as  a  stepping-stone  to  their  high  ambitions. 

Many  women  have  the  ability  in  addition  to  being  good 
wives  and  mothers  to  help  admirably  in  the  solution  of 
the  problems  which  reach  outside  of  the  home  and  touch 
the  state  and  the  nation. 

The  woman  who  would  make  her  personality  felt  be- 
yond her  home  and  city  into  the  wide  realm  of  her  state 
and  perhaps  her  nation,  must  have  preparation  for  the 
work.  Many  women  make  the  study  of  law  a  part  of 
their  preparation  for  the  larger  life.  Quite  a  number 
of  the  congressmen's  wives  study  law  in  order  more  in- 
telligently to  help  their  husbands  in  the  problems  of 
legislation. 

To  the  woman  who  is  ambitious  to  have  a  share  with 
men  in  the  matters  of  government  or  in  the  professions, 
Washington  offers  the  best  opportunity  for  study  and 
preparation  along  almost  any  line  in  which  she  may  be 
interested. 

Washington  College  of  Law  emphasizes  the  impor- 
tance of  women,  as  well  as  men,  having  a  legal  training 
to  help  them  in  economic  advancement.  George  Wash- 
ington University  also  has  among  its  students  young 
women,  many  of  whom  are  "government  employees. 

The  writer  has  tried  to  touch  upon  most  of  the  life 
of  interest  to  women,  so  that  they  may  have  an  idea  what 
Washington  is  like  before  they  decide  to  go  there. 

A  Mans  Opportunities 

In  most  of  the  departments  at  Washington  the  stenog- 
raphers, bookkeepers,  etc.,  are  referred  to  as  clerks. 


OPPORTUNITIES  83 

"When  you  are  offered  appointment  as  stenographer,  the 
official  designation  of  the  position  will  probably  be 
"clerk." 

The  easy  life  of  most  government  clerks  at  Washing- 
ton will  ruin  any  man  for  an  active,  successful  business 
or  professional  career  if  he  does  not  have  any  other  in- 
terests outside  of  his  office  work.  Right  here  is  the 
young  man's  opportunity  to  study  his  chosen  profession 
or  career,  whatever  it  may  be. 

There  are  many  fine  schools,  colleges,  and  universities 
all  around  Washington  that  cater  to  the  government  em- 
ployee, who  has  the  opportunity  to  earn  and  learn  at 
the  same  time.  Among  the  more  prominent  institutions 
of  learning  are: 

George  Washington  University. 

Washington  School  of  Accountancy. 

Georgetown  University. 

National  University  Law  School. 

All  of  the  above  institutions  are  high  grade  institu- 
tions of  learning  whose  diplomas  are  recognized  by  the 
best  schools,  colleges  and  universities  the  country  over. 

George  Washington  University 

The  George  Washington  University  is  a  non-sectarian 
institution,  and  comprises  a  College  of  Arts,  a  College 
of  Engineering,  Teachers'  College,  Law  School,  Medical 
School,  Dental  School,  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  College 
of  Veterinary  Medicine.  The  attendance  during  the  ses- 
sion 1914-15  was  one  thousand  seven  hundred  ninety. 

A  student  who  had  attended  college  in  Tennessee 
writes :  "Some  years  ago,  at  the  end  of  my  sophomore 
year,  I  was  compelled  on  account  of  lack  of  funds  to 
leave  college,  and  shortly  thereafter  to  take  up  the  sup- 
port of  certain  members  of  the  family  who  had  become 
dependent  on  me.  The  purpose  of  continuing  and  com- 
pleting my  college  course  always  persisted,  but  I  could 
never  get  far  enough  ahead  financially  to  support  myself 
and  those  dependent  on  me  during  the  time  necessary  to 
accomplish  this,  Several  years  after  I  left  college  I 


84    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

learned  of  George  Washington  University  and  its  after- 
noon classes,  and  sought  and  obtained  employment  in  the 
government  service  solely  for  the  purpose  of  taking  ad- 
vantage of  these  classes." 

Another  from  New  York  writes:  "I  came  to  Wash- 
ington simply  because  the  universities  there  are  the  only 
institutions,  so  far  as  I  know,  that  are  holding  out  the 
chance  of  obtaining  a  higher  education  to  the  man  who 
is  unable  to  give  up  his  employment,  also  the  office  hours 
in  the  government  service  lend  themselves  admirably  to 
this  purpose."  These  two  speak  for  many. 

The  possibility  of  using  government,  employment 
merely  as  a  stepping-stone  to  an  education  may  not  ap- 
pear to  a  government  official  as  altogether  advantageous 
to  the  service.  A  service,  however,  run  by  the  people 
and  for  the  people  may  be  appropriately  used  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  people,  and  no  service,  public  or  private, 
can  rightfully  expect  to  hold  in  its  lower  grades  em- 
ployees of  ability  to  better  themselves  elsewhere. 

A  student  from  Arkansas  who  writes,  "I  entered 
George  Washington  University  because  it  maintained  the 
only  professional  school  of  higher  standards  which  it  was 
practicable  for  me,  being  employed,  to  attend,"  expresses 
the  attitude  of  the  average  student  in  government  em- 
ploy toward  continuance  in  the  employ. 

"My  primary  purpose  in  studying  is  to  insure  my  fu- 
ture by  preparing  for  a  higher  grade  of  work.  Whether 
I  shall  remain  in  Washington  is  as  yet  an  open  question, 
depending  upon  opportunities  which  may  offer  them- 
selves after  I  have  completed  my  course  in  the  Law 
School.  If  I  see  a  satisfactory  opening,  I  shall  remain 
in  the  government  service;  if,  however,  possibilities  in 
legal  work  in  my  home  state,  or  in  any  other  section, 
offering  better  advantages,  appear  more  promising,  I  shall 
not  hesitate  to  leave  Washington." 

This  attitude  is  reasonable,  and  unless  the  Government 
should  adopt  the  inconceivable  policy  of  refusing  to  take 
into  the  lower  grades  employees  of  promise  and  of 
avowed  ambition,  it  must  stand  prepared  for  a  constant 
release  of  those  whom  it  cannot  promote. 


OPPORTUNITIES  85 

The  thorough  preparation,  earnestness,  and  maturity  of 
the  students  of  the  University  make  one  of  its  chief  at- 
tractions. In  1914-15  of  the  candidates  for  degrees  six- 
ty-one per  cent  were  college  trained  and  one  hundred 
fifteen  of  them  were  college  graduates.  The  training 
and  maturity  of  the  students  enables  the  instruction  to 
be  put  on  a  high  plane.  The  quality  of  the  students  and 
thoroughness  of  the  work  are  proved  by  the  success  of 
the  graduates  of  the  Law  School  in  the  bar  examinations 
of  the  District  of  Columbia.  On  the  average  only  about 
fifty-five  per  cent  of  all  candidates  pass,  while  over  nine- 
ty-five per  cent  of  the  George  Washington  graduates  are 
successful. 

The  Law  School  of  the  George  Washington  Univer- 
sity was  established  in  1865,  and  is  the  oldest  in  the  city 
of  Washington.  Its  course  of  instruction  for  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws,  originally  requiring  two  years,  was 
increased  in  1898  to  three  years.  A  year  of  graduate 
work  was  added  in  1877  leading  to  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Laws.  The  curriculum  has  since  been  increased  by 
a  course  of  study  leading  to  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Patent  Law. 

The  Law  School  was  one  of  the  group  of  law  schools 
which  in  1900  organized  the  Association  of  American 
Law  Schools  and  it  has  remained  a  member  of  the  Asso- 
ciation since  that  time.  This  Association  includes  forty- 
six  of  the  most  progressive  law  schools  of  the  country 
and  is  committed  to  the  policy  of  advancement  in  legal 
education.  As  this  school  maintains  the  standards  of 
the  Association,  work  certified  by  it  is  given  a  maximum 
of  credit  by  other  law  schools  of  the  country.  This 
enables  students  who  are  unable  to  complete  their  studies 
in  Washington,  to  continue  them  at  other  institutions 
with  a  minimum  loss  of  time  and  work. 

The  University  permits  the  first  year  of  law  work  to 
be  counted  as  the  fourth  year  of  college  work  for  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  thus  enabling  students  to 
obtain  both  the  academic  and  professional  degrees  in  six 
years. 


86    HOW  TO  PREPARE*  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


The   Washington  School  of  Accountancy 

The  Washington  School  of  Accountancy  ranks  with 
the  best  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  country.  It  is  a 
branch  of  the  Pace  Institute  of  Accountancy  of  New 
York  City,  and  is  under  direct  supervision  of  the  Pace 
Brothers,  founders  of  the  Pace  Schools.  Its  location  in 
the  Y,  M.  C.  A.  building  is  very  convenient  for  men  in 
the  government  service  and  its  classes  are  made  up 
mostly  of  government  men. 

The  author  is  personally  acquainted  with  most  of  the 
instructors  in  the  school  and  can  well  say  that  there  is 
no  room  on  the  teaching  staff  of  this  school  of  profes- 
sional training  for  any  man  of  mediocre  ability.  Its 
entire  faculty  is  composed  of  men  of  marked  ability  in 
their  respective  lines,  who  understand  well  the  art  of 
teaching. 

The  courses  offered  include  instruction  in  Theory  of 
Accounts,  Practical  Accounting,  Auditing,  Law,  Applied 
Economics,  Organization,  Finance  and  Cost  Accounting. 
The  student  who  completes  the  three  years'  course  of- 
fered by  this  school  is  well  prepared  to  pass  the  C.  P.  A. 
examination  of  any  state  or  to  advance  rapidly  in  the 
field  of  business  where  he  may  be  employed.  For  more 
about  the  profession  of  Accountancy  and  what  it  offers  in 
the  way  of  rewards,  see  Chapter  V. 

There  is  no  fixed  requirement  as  to  preliminary  educa- 
tion for  admission  to  the  Accountancy  courses.  An  at- 
tempt is  made,  however,  to  limit  the  work  to  those  whose 
general  education  is  sufficient  to  assure  ultimate  success 
in  the  work. 

Georgetown   University 

The  Georgetown  University  is  a  sectarian  institution 
under  the  direction  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Its 
classes  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  government  em- 
ployee and  its  Law  School  ranks  with  the  best  in  the 
city  of  Washington.  Much  of  what  has  been  said  about 
the  George  Washington  Law  School,  and  the  National 


OPPORTUNITIES  87 

University  Law  School,  could  be  said  about  the  George- 
town Law  School.  The  Georgetown  University  build- 
ings are  not  quite  so  handy  to  government  employees  as 
are  those  of  George  Washington  University  and  for  that 
reason  the  government  employees  do  not  patronize  this 
university  quite  as  much  as  they  do  George  Washington. 
This  does  not  apply  to  the  Law  Schools,  however,  since 
they  are  all  down  town  and  one  is  about  as  handy  as  the 
other. 

Law  School  of  the  National  University 

The  National  University  has  its  largest  classes  in  the 
teaching  of  the  legal  profession.  I  quote  from  the  cat- 
alogue a  few  paragraphs  which  give  a  good  idea  of  the 
work  being  done  by  this  law  school. 

'This  institution,  first  incorporated  in  1869  and  after- 
wards chartered  by  special  act  of  Congress,  is  the  second 
oldest  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

"The  Law  School,  organized  by  Mr.  Justice  Arthur 
McArthur,  is  about  to  enter  upon  its  forty-fifth  year  of 
unbroken  activity.  There  have  been  nine  chancellors  of 
the  University,  five  of  them  presidents  of  the  United 
States,  to  wit:  Presidents  Grant,  Hayes,  Garfield,  Ar- 
thur and  Cleveland.  The  diplomas  awarded  during  their 
terms  of  office  bear  their  signature,  and  in  most  instances 
were  personally  conferred  upon  the  recipients  of  the 
degrees. 

"The  faculty  has  had  the  distinction  of  including  among 
its  membership  many  lawyers  and  judges  of  national  rep- 
utation, and  the  graduates,  now  nearly  three  thousand 
(3,000)  in  number,  are  to  be  found  in  every  state  and 
territory  of  the  United  States,  our  colonial  possessions 
and  in  many  foreign  countries. 

"The  classes  are  limited  to  a  size  compatible  with  in- 
dividual instruction  by  members  of  the  faculty.  There  is 
an  average  of  one  instructor  to  each  twelve  students,  and 
the  work  of  instruction  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty,  no  quiz  masters  or  other  secondary 
agents  of  instruction  being  employed. 


88     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

"There  are  no  athletics  or  other  undergraduate  di- 
versions connected  with  the  institution  to  attract  the  im- 
mature or  interfere  with  the  serious  work  of  professional 
education.  More  than  ninety  per  cent  of  the  students 
are  in  civil  service  employment  of  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  the  administration  departments  of 
which  provide  employment  for  thousands  of  ambitious 
young  men  drawn  from  all  sections  of  the  country. 
These,  at  their  own  expense  and  upon  their  own  respon- 
sibility, employ  their  free  hours  in  securing  a  thorough 
and  practical  training  such  as,  upon  return  to  their  re- 
spective states,  enables  them  to  take  up  the  practice  of 
law  as  a  means  of  livelihood  and  advancement. 

"The  corps  of  instructors  is  composed  almost  exclu- 
sively of  judges  and  practicing  lawyers,  who  are  enabled 
to  approach  their  work  from  the  practical  standpoint  of 
the  law  as  administered  in  Courts  of  Justice,  rather  than 
as  a  merely  theoretical  and  abstract  science. 

"The  design  of  the  law  school  has  always  been  that  of 
a  purely  technical  school ;  a  lawyer's  law  school,  in  which 
the  student  could  be  thoroughly  prepared  for  successful 
competition  in  the  practice  of  a  technical  profession.  To 
the  accomplishment  of  this  end  within  the  restricted 
period  of  three  years'  law  school  work,  and  with  a  student 
body  composed  for  the  most  part  of  men  employed  during 
the  day  in  the  various  branches  of  the  government  ser- 
vice, two  conditions  were  deemed  requisite. 

"First,  the  concentration  of  the  student's  hours  of 
study  upon  those  branches  of  the  vast  body  of  the  law, 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  which  is  essential  to  the  suc- 
cessful practitioner,  and,  therefore,  as  a  corollary,  the 
rigid  exclusion  of  all  non-essentials,  or  less  essential 
branches  the  acquisition  of  which  may  safely  be  post- 
poned to  the  period  succeeding  admission  to  the  bar. 

"Second,  the  faculty,  whose  labors  supplement  those  of 
the  text  writer  in  teaching  the  student  how  to  practice 
law,  is  composed  almost  exclusively  of  men  who  are 
themselves  engaged  daily  and  hourly  in  the  successful 
practice  of  their  profession. 

"The  Bachelor's  Degree  is  awarded  upon  the  result  of 


OPPORTUNITIES 89 

the  examinations,  and  without  reference  to  whether  the 
period  of  antecedent  attendance  at  the  lectures  has  been 
three  years  or  two.  This  arrangement  commends  itself 
particularly  to  those  gentlemen  who  are  in  the  civil  em- 
ployment of  the  Government." 


It  will  be  noted  from  the  descriptive  matter  given  above 
about  the  different  universities  and  schools  that  the  law 
departments  seem  to  be  the  most  prominent  departments. 
They  are.  The  law  schools  of  Washington  graduate 
about  one  thousand  lawyers  every  year  who  scatter  to 
the  four  corners  of  the  United  States  to  practice  their 
profession,  and  quite  often  some  of  them  come  back  to 
Washington  in  a  few  years  as  Congressmen  to  the  Na- 
tional Congress. 

The  writer  knew  one  bright  young  student  there  who 
went  to  the  state  of  Washington  to  practice  law  soon 
after  he  graduated.  In  two  years  from  the  time  he  fin- 
ished school  and  left  Washington,  D.  C,  as  a  government 
stenographer,  he  came  back  as  a  member  of  Congress 
from  the  state  of  Washington. 

It  is  quite  natural  that  so  many  of  the  young  men  at 
Washington  study  law  in  preference  to  the  other  profes- 
sions. They  are  thrown  in  contact  with  the  most  suc- 
cessful lawyers  in  the  United  States  in  the  personnel  of 
Congress,  the  Supreme  Court,  and  other  courts,  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  and  many  other  departments  of  the 
Government,  where  successful  lawyers  are  the  chief  ex- 
ecutives of  the  departments. 

In  this  connection  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  young  man 
or  young  woman  who  may  not  be  interested  in  law,  there 
are  many  other  schools  teaching  almost  any  study  that 
one  could  be  interested  in,  and  offering  just  as  liberal 
terms  to  the  government  employee  as  do  the  schools  of 
law. 

Entrance  to  the  Universities 

Many  people  who  are  deeply  interested  in  all  the  op- 
portunities that  have  been  mentioned  in  this  chapter  are, 


90   HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

perhaps,  thinking  that  because  they  do  not  possess  a 
high  school  diploma,  they  could  not  get  into  any  of  these 
universities  or  schools  at  Washington.  This  is  not  true. 
Many  of  the  universities  state  in  their  catalogues  that  one 
must  be  a  high  school  graduate  or  its  equivalent  in  order 
to  be  admitted,  but  they  do  not  always  rigidly  adhere  to 
this  rule. 

If  you  are  in  the  government  service  as  a  result  of 
civil  service  examination,  they  consider  in  many  cases 
your  ability  to  pass  civil  service  examination,  and  hold 
civil  service  employment  as  equal  to  a  high  school  edu- 
cation. Even  where  they  insist  on  certain  credits  for  ad- 
mission you  can  make  them  up  during  odd  times  after 
you  have  entered  the  university. 


CHAPTER  V 

CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 
In   General 

To  persons  employed  in  civil  service  at  Washington 
comes  exceptional  opportunity  to  use  spare  time  for  the 
study  of  any  of  the  vocations  mentioned  in  the  following 
part  of  this  chapter  and  also  for  many  other  fields  of  en- 
deavor not  mentioned.  Law  and  accountancy  perhaps 
hold  the  most  pre-eminent  place  of  those  mentioned. 

The  situation  is  that  you  have  a  permanent  position  at 
a  good  salary  and  lots  of  spare  time  on  your  hands. 
There  are  a  thousand  ways  in  which  you  can  spend  this 
spare  time  for  your  pleasure,  profit  or  development. 
Some  of  the  government  employees  go  into  business 
there  and  hold  their  positions  at  the  same  time. 

In  dealing  with  the  vocations  mentioned  here,  an  at- 
tempt is  made  to  state  in  very  condensed  form  some  of 
the  advantages  and  rewards  of  each  vocation  with  a  few 
hints  as  to  how  to  get  into  that  work. 

The  business  of  choosing  a  vocation  is  a  very  impor- 
tant one,  and  yet  most  people  do  not  choose  at  all,  they 
just  follow  the  work  that  they,  by  chance,  happen  to  fall 
into  through  circumstances  or  environment.  It  is 
stated  by  those  who  have  made  a  life  study  of  vocational 
guidance  that  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  are  misfits  in  their  vocations.  They  are 
round  pegs  in  square  holes,  and  square  pegs  in  round 
holes. 

A  young  man  ought  to  give  much  thought  to  the  se- 
lection of  the  vocation  that  is  to  be  his  life's  work.  Most 
of  our  lives  are  spent  at  our  work,  and  if  the  work  is 
pleasant  and  of  the  kind  that  we  enjoy  doing,  then  our 

91 


92     HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

lives  will  be  pleasant  and  full  of  interest.  Everyone 
should  love  his  work.  If  you  cannot  learn  to  love  your 
work  then  it  is  not  the  work  that  you  ought  to  engage 
in.  There  is  some  kind  of  work  that  you  take  pleasure 
in  doing,  and  that  work  which  is  most  interesting  and 
pleasant  to  you  is  the  work  you  ought  to  follow. 

Sometimes  one  makes  a  mistake  in  selecting.  In  such 
a  case  it  is  best  to  change,  if  the  person  has  not  gone  too 
far  on  life's  journey.  It  is  a  very  hard  thing  for  a 
person  to  get  out  of  one  line  of  endeavor  in  which  all  his 
study  and  experience  has  been,  and  get  started  into  some 
other  work  that  is  more  or  less  new  to  him.  It  is  im- 
possible for  some  people  to  do  it.  This  impresses  more 
indelibly  the  importance  of  giving  this  subject  careful 
study  at  an  early  time  in  life. 

Look  over  the  vocations  mentioned  and  if  you  find 
yourself  interested  in  any  one  of  them,  go  to  the  library 
and  get  more  literature  on  that  particular  one.  There 
are  volumes  on  each  one  of  the  subjects  mentioned  which 
the  province  of  this  book  does  not  include.  This  chapter 
is  intended  only  as  a  ''bunch"  of  suggestions  for  your 
thought.  If  you  are  particularly  interested  in  any  field 
of  work  not  mentioned  or  suggested  here,  go  to  the  li- 
brary and  get  full  light  on  what  is  required  to  enter  that 
vocation  and  what  rewards  it  holds  forth. 

When  you  have  selected  your  work,  then  begin  to  study 
it  with  all  the  courage  and  determination  you  possess. 
Make  up  your  mind  that  you  are  going  to  be  a  leader  in 
your  work,  and  by  putting  your  best  energies  into  it,  you 
can  surely  succeed. 

Accountancy 

No  profession  offers  a  more  attractive  future  to  the 
young  man  who  would  enter  business,  than  does  that  of 
the  accountant.  The  professional  accountant  has  the 
distinction  of  being  a  professional  man  and  a  business 
man  at  the  same  time.  The  field  is  not  half  covered  and 
the  demand  for  trained  men  far  exceeds  the  supply. 

In  Great  Britain  there  are  over  eight  thousand  chart- 
ered and  incorporated  accountants.  In  this  country  there 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  93 

are  about  fifteen  hundred  C.  P.  A/s.  Taking  the  popula- 
tion of  the  two  countries  as  a  comparison,  there  is  work 
in  the  United  States  for  ten  to  fifteen  times  as  many 
certified  public  accountants  as  there  are  now.  This  cry- 
ing need  spells  Opportunity  for  you  who  are  seriously 
ambitious. 

If  you  are  a  bookkeeper  and  want  to  rise  above  your 
environment,  study  higher  accounting.  As  a  bookkeeper, 
you  may  be  able  to  add  a  column  of  figures  in  record 
time,  or  keep  a  set  of  books  month  after  month  without 
error.  That  is  mere  mechanical  skill.  It  will  not  bring 
large  rewards. 

Knowing  how  to  devise  labor-saving  bookkeeping  sys- 
tems, how  to  decide  involved  accounting  propositions, 
how  to  outline  adequate  cost  systems,  how  to  suggest 
valuable  checks  against  waste,  how  to  deal  with  banks, 
how  to  handle  men,  how  to  organize  and  finance  busi- 
ness enterprises;  such  ability  brings  advancement.  No 
amount  of  experience  or  mechanical  skill  will  enable  you 
to  acquire  this  ability.  You  must  learn  it  by  systematic 
study  under  competent  instructors. 

Accountancy  is  the  latest  professional  field  of  activity 
to  yield  to  the  insistent  demand  for  scientific  training  pre- 
liminary to  practice.  Law,  medicine  and  engineering 
have  in  turn  developed  professional  training  as  a  prep- 
aration for  public  and  private  service.  A  hundred  years 
ago  the  medical  student  read  his  course  with  the  prac- 
titioner ;  fifty  years  ago  the  law  student  pursued  his  work 
under  a  preceptor;  thirty  years  ago  the  practically 
trained  engineer  laughed  at  the  theoretical  graduate  of 
the  technical  school. 

To-day  the  student  enters  the  medical  school,  the  law 
school,  or  the  engineering  school,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Technical  training  for  the  professions  is  the  established 
method  because  it  affords  a  better  and  surer  preparation. 

A  certified  public  accountant,  according  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  law  of  New  York  and  other  states,  is  ex- 
pected to  have  a  knowledge  of  the  underlying  principles 
of  the  laws  that  govern  business  relations  and  the  prac- 
tical application  of  such  laws.  He  must  also  have  a 


94    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

thorough  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  modern  account- 
ing and  their  scientific  application  to  the  keeping  and 
stating  of  accounts  in  all  lines  of  business  enterprise  and 
wherever  settlements  involving  money~  are  to  be  made. 
H-e  is  expected  to  be  able  to  solve  the  most  abstruse  and 
difficult  problems  that  arise  in  any  branch  of  accounting, 
and  as  an  auditor,  he  is  expected  to  have  a  broad,  general 
knowledge  of  business,  with  the  intuition  of  the  detective 
as  well  as  the  skill  of  the  accountant. 

The  Certified  Public  Accountant  Law  of  New  York 
secured  to  the  profession  of  accountancy  in  1896  official 
recognition,  and  similar  laws  have  since  been  enacted  in 
California,  Colorado,  Connecticut,  Florida,  Georgia,  Illi- 
nois, Louisiana,  Maryland,  Massachusetts,  Michigan, 
Minnesota,  Missouri,  Montana,  Nebraska,  New  Jersey, 
Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Rhode  Island,  Utah,  Virginia,  Wash- 
ington, and  Texas.  C.  P.  A.  legislation  is  now  pending 
in  other  states  and  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

With  certain  preliminary  education  and  experience  as 
required  by  the  state  laws,  and  the  equipment  in  theory 
and  practice  suggested  above,  the  accountant  offers  his 
services  to  the  public  in  the  installation  of  accounts  and 
systems,  in  the  making  of  appraisals,  audits,  and  reports, 
and  in  such  other  phases  of  business  organization  and 
science  as  his  training  and  experience  may  justify. 

The  Financial  Rewards 

The  legitimate  interest  that  the  prospective  student 
may  have  in  the  financial  rewards  which  the  profession 
actually  offers  to-day,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  re- 
liable information,  warrant  the  presentation  of  the  facts, 
although  the  persona^  element  enters  so  largely  into  the 
matter  of  compensation  that  the  subject  is  approached 
with  hesitancy. 

The  larger  firms  employ  two  classes  of  accountants, 
seniors  and  juniors.  The  seniors  are  qualified  by  train- 
ing and  experience  to  take  charge  of  audits,  the  installa- 
tion of  systems,  etc.  The  juniors  are  assistants  to  the 
seniors,  and  largely  perform  the  adding,  checking,  and 
similar  clerical  work. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  95 

A  student  who  has  satisfactorily  completed  the  courses 
offered  by  the  best  schools  of  accountancy,  is  competent 
to  act  as  junior,  and  will  usually  command  a  compensa- 
tion of  from  one  thousand  to  twelve  hundred  dollars  a 
year,  and,  in  some  cases,  as  high  as  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year.  A  junior  receives  advancement  as  his  capac- 
ity increases,  until,  at  about  eighteen  hundred  or  two 
thousand  dollars  a  year,  he  becomes  a  senior. 

In  exceptional  cases  the  promotion  from  junior  to 
senior  is  earned  within  a  year,  although  it  often  requires 
a  longer  time,  depending  upon  the  natural  ability,  in- 
dustry, training  and  opportunities  of  the  accountant.  As 
a  senior  he  may  earn  eighteen  hundred,  two  thousand, 
three  thousand  dollars  or  more,  per  annum,  according  to 
his  ability.  In  addition  to  salaries,  both  seniors  and 
juniors  are  allowed  liberal  compensation  for  overtime 
work  and  expense  money  in  keeping  with  their  profes- 
sional standing  when  traveling  and  engaged  in  out-of- 
town  work. 

In  independent  practice,  the  usual  charge  is  from  ten 
dollars  to  twenty  dollars  a  day  for  the  work  of  ju- 
niors, and  at  least  twenty-five  dollars  a  day  for  the  work 
of  seniors,  with  such  additional  charge  as  the  nature  of 
the  work  and  the  standing  of  the  accountant  responsible 
therefor  may  justify. 

While  exact  figures  as  to  private  incomes  are  not  avail- 
able for  publication,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  many  young 
accountants  have  practices  that  bring  them  comfortable 
incomes,  and  there  are  older  and  more  experienced  ac- 
countants whose  incomes,  through  their  personal  fees 
and  the  profit  secured  by  the  employment  of  other  ac- 
countants, compare  favorably  with  the  incomes  received 
by  the  leading  members  of  the  older  professions. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that,  differing  from 
the  young  lawyer  and  the  young  physician,  the  young 
accountant  is  assured  of  a  livelihood  from  the  start. 
Furthermore,  there  is  practically  no  limit,  except  ability, 
upon  the  amount  of  income  possible. 

Aside  from  the  opportunities  afforded  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  the  accountant  is  in  an  exceptional  po- 


96    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

sition  to  secure  offers  of  lucrative  private  employment, 
inasmuch  as  he  is  the  highest  type  of  business  man  and 
establishes  the  most  confidential  and  intimate  business 
relations  with  members  of  firms  and  corporation  officers. 

It  is  not  unusual  for  an  accountant  to  abandon  his  pro- 
fessional career  to  accept  such  private  employment,  and 
many  instances  can  be  pointed  out  in  which  the  initial 
compensation  varied  from  five  thousand  to  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum,  and  in  the  field  of  corporate  ac- 
counting service,  annual  incomes  ranging  from  twenty 
thousand  to  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  can  be  cited. 

Here  are  a  few  Chicago  certified  public  accountants 
whom  I  can  just  now  call  to  mind  and  who  have,  as  a 
result  of  their  knowledge  of  accounting,  secured  very 
fine  positions : 

Wm.  M.  Reay,  C.  P.  A.,  Comptroller,  International 
Harvester  Co. ;  Frank  M.  Boughey,  C.  P.  A.,  Secretary, 
Fairbanks,  Morse  &  Co. ;  A.  E.  Anderson,  C.  P.  A., 
Auditor,  Schlitz  Brewing  Co. ;  H.  G.  Phillips,  C.  F.  A., 
Vice-President,  American  Bottle  Co. ;  Arthur  Bentley, 
C.  P.  A.,  First  Vice-President,  Miehle  Press  Co. ;  Her- 
man J.  Dirks,  C.  P.  A.,  Auditor,  Brunswick-Balke-Col- 
lander  Co. 

None  of  these  men  are  holding  positions  at  less  than 
five  thousand  dollars  a  year  and  some  are  earning  be- 
tween ten  thousand  dollars  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

Turning  from  the  purely  financial  side,  it  is  gratifying 
to  know  that  the  accountant  may  reasonably  expect  honor 
and  dignity  equal  to  that  enjoyed  by  the  members  of  the 
older  professions.  No  profession  calls  for  the  more  fre- 
quent exercise  of  honesty  and  integrity.  None  offers  an 
opportunity  for  greater  responsibility  than  that  assumed 
by  the  accountant  who  determines  the  course  of  his  cli- 
ent, and  of  investors  generally,  and  upon  whose  word 
often  depends  the  transfer  of  a  railroad  property,  or 
upon  whose  report  the  policyholders  of  a  life  insurance 
company  rely  as  to  the  integrity  of  the  assets  which  safe- 
guard the  futures  of  their  dependent  ones. 

Let  me  not  be  misunderstood.  It  is  not  intended  to 
convey  the  impression  that  lucrative  positions  are  stand- 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 97 

ing  open  to  men  of  inferior  capacity  either  as  account- 
ants, bookkeepers  or  office  managers.  It  is  recognized 
that  the  acquisition  of  a  working  knowledge  of  account- 
ancy and  its  practice  as  a  profession  involve  a  serious 
and  extended  program  of  study. 

There  is  involved,  further,  an  actual  demonstration  of 
capacity  to  apply  what  one  knows  in  the  solution  of  in- 
tricate business  problems.  With  emphasis,  however,  it 
may  be  said  that  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  of  preparation 
and  practice,  the  profession  of  accountancy  offers  an  in- 
viting field  to  one  who  is  willing  to  pursue  with  diligence 
his  professional  studies  and  his  later  practice. 

Advertising 

Advertising  is  a  word  of  very  wide  meaning.  As  a 
profession  its  meaning  is  growing  so  fast  that  even  the 
latest  dictionaries  and  encyclopedias  are  out  of  date  in 
their  definitions  of  this  word. 

Advertising  as  a  force  in  business  has  many  different 
meanings.  It  is  an  omnibus  word  that  conveys  different 
people  to  different  places. 

Perhaps  no  prophecy  as  to  the  future  of  advertising 
would  be  excessive.  Already  more  than  a  billion  dol- 
lars is  spent  each  year  for  advertising.  Think  of  it !  It 
is  hard  for  most  people  to  conceive  the  meaning  of  a 
billion  dollars.  We  can  think  a  million.  Then  we  can 
think  a  hundred  million.  That's  about  the  population  of 
the  United  States.  When  it  comes  to  ten  hundred  mil- 
lion, or  a  billion,  it  sets  our  imaginations  going  to  con- 
ceive what  it  means. 

There  are  single  companies  which  spend  three  million 
dollars  a  year  for  this  wonderful  business  force  called 
advertising,  and  there  are  advertising  men  who  have 
incomes  of  over  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year  from  this 
business. 

Salaries  of  eighteen  hundred  and  two  thousand  dollars 
a  year  are  common  for  good  advertising  men. 

The  advertising  agency,  perhaps,  pays  its  owner  larger 
profits  than  any  other  line  of  advertising  work.  The 


98    HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

agencies  give  a  service  to  their  clients  which  consists  in 
part  of  selecting  the  best  mediums  to  use,  writing  cop- 
ies, checking  the  insertions  of  copies,  studying  products 
with  a  view  of  discovering  their  possible  undeveloped 
markets  and  keeping  records  of  the  pulling  values  of 
different  kinds  of  advertising. 

The  agency  does  not  charge  the  client  for  these  and 
other  services  except  for  art  work,  printing,  electros,  etc. 
The  money  in  the  agency  is  made  in  the  form  of  com- 
missions from  the  publishers  on  all  business  of  clients 
which  they  place.  This  commission  ranges  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  per  cent. 

To  get  an  idea  of  the  money  in  this  business  for  the 
successful  ones  handling  the  advertising  of  the  large 
corporations,  let  us  take  a  full  page  advertisement  in 
the  Saturday  Evening  Post. 

A  full  page  advertisement  in  this  publication  costs  ten 
thousand  dollars  an  issue.  The  agency's  commission  of 
ten  per  cent  amounts  to  one  thousand  dollars.  This  is 
not  an  average  case,  however,  because  the  Saturday^  Eve- 
ning Post  is,  perhaps,  the  highest  priced  medium  in  the 
United  States,  due  to  its  large  circulation  and  the  average 
advertiser  does  not  use  a  whole  page.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  them  using  only  four  or  five  inches  of  a  single 
column. 

It  takes  a  lot  of  experience  in  the  advertising  business 
before  one  can  operate  an  agency,  but  there  are  many 
other  places  where  a  man  can  earn  a  good  salary  while 
he  is  acquiring  the  necessary  experience. 

There  are  the  advertising  solicitors  for  the  newspapers 
and  the  magazines.  There  are  hundreds  of  men  em- 
ployed by  the  owners  of  the  agencies.  There  are  the 
men  who  are  employed  by  the  business  houses  as  ad- 
vertising managers.  There  are  numerous  different  kinds 
of  positions  in  the  advertising  game.  It  employs  many 
who  specialize  in  one  particular  line,  as  for  instance, 
street  car  advertisements,  newspaper  advertisements,  art 
work  for  all  advertisements,  advertising  results,  records, 
etc. 

Advertising  and  selling  are  very  closely  related.  They 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  99 

arc,  in  their  last  analysis,  the  same,  and  the  science  and 
art  of  both  rest  upon  the  same  great  principles.  Ad- 
vertising is  condensed  salesmanship,  and  is  usually 
printed.  Its  whole  sphere  of  activity  is  directed  toward 
influencing  the  human  mind.  Therefore,  success  in  ad- 
vertising requires  a  careful  study  of  the  charming  sub- 
jects, psychology  and  human  nature — not  in  their  the- 
oretical aspects,  but  in  the  practical  and  commercial 
phases. 

The  successful  advertising  man  needs  a  wide  knowl- 
edge of  the  laws  of  economics,  especially  as  they  affect 
distribution  of  goods  or  service. 

The  student  who  is  interested  in  advertising  and  selling 
should  read  Printers'  Ink.  This  magazine  is  devoted 
to  an  analysis  of  successful  and  unsuccessful  advertising 
and  selling  campaigns  of  the  day. 

To  the  person  interested  in  advertising  and  selling,  I 
would  say  first  become  a  college  graduate  if  you  can, 
although  this  is  not  essential.  In  selecting  your  course 
take  all  the  psychology,  English,  logic,  political  economy 
and  sociology  that  you  can  get.  Take  also  some  business 
administration  and  accounting,  and  such  work  as  may  be 
obtained  on  the  subjects  of  salesmanship  and  advertising. 

The  colleges  and  universities  up  to  the  present  time, 
have  offered  very  little  in  the  way  of  practical  training 
for  the  biggest  profession  in  life — namely  business  in  all 
of  its  broadest  aspects.  But  they  are  rapidly  coming  to 
see  the  error  of  their  ways  in  not  preparing  for  this  work 
which  so  many  enter  sooner  or  later;  and  the  modern 
university  is  now  offering  courses  in  applied  business 
psychology,  advertising,  salesmanship,  accounting,  com- 
mercial law,  finance  and  applied  economics.  In  the 
George  Washington  University  and  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Institute  at  Washington,  you  will  be  able  to  get  plenty 
of  the  subjects  suited  to  the  work  on  advertising. 

I  know  of  no  career  where  brains  alone,  energy,  hon- 
esty, truthfulness,  and  no  capital  or  friends  to  help  one, 
offer  a  more  successful  business  from  a  pecuniary  stand- 
point. To  those  who  have  an  interest  in  human  nature 


100  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

there  is  a  pleasure  of  occupation  in  advertising  that 
makes  the  business  very  desirable  also. 

In  "The  Business  of  Advertising,"  by  E.  E.  Calkins, 
the  tenth  chapter  deals  with  "Advertising  as  a  Profes- 
sion," and  the  following  is  quoted  from  that  work: 

"There  is  a  growing  demand  for  a  man  with  a  plan — 
a  man  who  can  see  in  advance  the  form  the  advertising 
should  take ;  who  has  a  definite  idea  as  to  the  sort  of  copy 
and  design  that  should  be  used  and  the  proportion  of 
each ;  the  tone  of  the  copy,  whether  it  should  be  explana- 
tory, hortative  or  seductive;  whether  the  design  should 
tell  a  story  or  merely  decorate  a  page ;  whether  it  should 
be  a  black  page  or  two  black  pages  or  a  colored  insert; 
whether  it  should  be  printed  on  a  street  car  card  or  on  a 
magazine  page;  how  many  advertisements  there  should 
be;  what  the  order  and  sequence  of  them;  whether  the 
advertisements  should  all  be  given  a  certain  style  so  as 
to  be  recognizable  as  belonging  to  the  same  brotherhood, 
or  all  different  in  form  as  in  idea.  Each  one  of  these 
things  is  a  detail  but  the  man  who  makes  the  plan  sees 
them  all  in  the  correct  relation  as  a  comprehensive 
whole. 

"The  man  who  prepares  the  plan  may  or  may  not  draw 
the  designs,  may  or  may  not  write  the  copy,  may  or  may 
not  select  the  mediums,  may  or  may  not  supervise  the 
typesetting,  engraving,  electrotyping  and  mechanical  re- 
production of  the  advertising,  and  still  be  an  advertising 
man.  Again  the  advertising  may  or  may  not  be  placed 
in  magazines,  in  newspapers,  in  street  cars,  upon  bill 
boards,  or  in  the  form  of  printed  things.  An  advertising 
man  is  one  who  can  take  a  given  product,  study  its  sell- 
ing possibilities  and  prepare  a  method  of  selling  which 
will  bring  purchasers  for  the  commodity  either  into  the 
stores  or  direct  by  mail. 

"Advertising  must  be  learned  by  doing,  but  for  that 
matter  so  must  the  management  of  a  store  or  the  conduct 
of  a  manufacturing  plant.  Advertising  has  so  much  of 
the  practical  and  so  little  of  the  theoretical  in  it  that  an 
advertising  man  cannot  be  made  in  any  school.  He  can 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  101 

only  get  his  foundation  there.  But  this  is  true  of  all  the 
other  professions  as  well. 

"A  man  who  expects  to  be  a  successful  advertising 
man  should  be  a  good  salesman.  He  should  be  able  to 
go  behind  the  counter  or  on  the  road  or  from  house  to 
house  and  sell  goods ;  and  by  selling  goods  I  do  not  mean 
take  orders. 

"After  learning  the  selling  of  goods,  the  next  step  is 
to  understand  the  management  of  sales.  Manufactur- 
ing houses  are  more  and  more  combining  their  sales  and 
advertising  departments.  The  advertising  man  should 
know  something  about  the  condition  of  business,  the  dis- 
tribution of  goods  through  the  different  channels  of  trade, 
the  relation  of  manufacturers  to  commission  men,  to 
wholesalers,  to  jobbers,  to  drummers,  to  retailer  and 
consumer." 

Since  advertising  is  condensed  salesmanship  see  also 
article  on  salesmanship  in  this  chapter. 

Agriculture 

Agriculture  is  the  largest  single  industry  in  the  United 
States.  The  farm  in  its  numerical  and  financial  strength 
is  to-day  the  greatest  power  in  the  whole  civilized  world. 

Here  is  the  story  of  how  you  can  start  in  business  as 
a  farmer  at  a  salary  of  eighteen  hundred  dollars  a  year 
from  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at  Washington. 

After  obtaining  appointment  at  Washington  as  clerk, 
stenographer  or  bookkeeper,  as  outlined  in  this  book, 
begin  in  one  of  the  good  universities  there  to  prepare 
yourself  to  pass  the  examination  for  scientific  assist- 
ant, Department  of  Agriculture.  You  can  qualify  to 
pass  these  examinations  in  the  same  length  of  time  you 
could  learn  a  profession,  and  it  offers  a  larger  salary 
to  start  and  a  bigger  future  than  any  of  the  professions. 

"These  positions  offer  many  attractive  features.  Ex- 
cellent opportunities  are  offered  for  scientific  research  in 
the  laboratories  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  Fur- 
thermore, practically  all  of  these  positions  require  more 
or  less  investigational  work  in  the  field  outside  of  Wash- 
ington, which  enables  one  to  obtain  a  broad  and  compre- 


log  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

hensive  view  of  one's  special  subject  of  investigation  as 
related  to  the  entire  country.  When  traveling  in  the 
field  away  from  their  official  or  temporary  headquarters, 
the  expenses  of  the  investigators  are  paid." — CIVIL  SERV- 
ICE MANUAL. 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  are  filled  from  the  ex- 
aminations for  scientific  assistant  other  positions,  the 
duties  of  which  are  to  take  up  residence  in  agricultural 
sections,  and,  representing  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture at  that  place,  teach  the  farmers  there  how  to  farm. 

The  men  holding  these  positions  receive  salaries  of 
sixteen  hundred  dollars  and  eighteen  hundred  dollars  a 
year,  and  are  usually  paid  half  of  their  salary  by  the 
Federal  Government  and  half  of  it  by  the  farmers  of 
the  community  in  which  they  work,  but  they  are  em- 
ployed and  assigned  to  their  posts  of  duty  by  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  at  Washington. 

The  farmer  is  not  recognized  as  he  should  be  because 
he  seeks  neither  notoriety  nor  prominence,  but  quietly 
does  his  work  allowing  others  to  play  at  society  and  to 
receive  its  shallow  reward.  The  farmer,  like  the  lawyer, 
should  be  proud  of  his  profession,  sufficiently  apprecia- 
tive of  it  to  give  it  the  full  measure  of  his  self-respect. 
Because  he  does  not  do  so,  he  has  lost  both  the  social 
and  business  prominence  which  really  belong  to  his  call- 
ing. 

Farming  to-day  is  a  very  different  thing  from  what  it 
was  a  few  years  ago.  To-day  men  are  producing  from 
one  acre  what  they  formerly  required  ten  acres  to  pro- 
duce. Years  ago  a  man  with  only  half  sense  and  no 
training  whatever,  could  be  a  successful  farmer  accord- 
ing to  the  low  standard  of  success  then  existing.  To-day 
the  successful  farmer  must  be  a  man  who  knows  well 
the  science  of  agriculture.  He  ought  to  be  college 
trained  in  the  science  of  successful  farming  and  must 
have  a  good  working  knowledge  of  business  if  he  is  to 
be  successful.  Farming  is  no  longer  luck  and  guess 
work.  It  has  been  reduced  to  an  exact  science  and  there 
is  no  calling  that  is  more  honorable  and  dignified.  It 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  103 

calls  for  men  of  business  ability  and  technical  training 
and  with  lots  of  energy  and  offers  as  much  excitement 
and  real  pleasure  of  accomplishment  as  does  any  other 
calling. 

The  trouble  with  farming  in  the  past  has  been  that 
too  many  farmers  instead  of  working  their  farms  allow 
their  farms  to  work  them.  The  farm  is  their  master 
instead  of  their  being  master  of  the  farm. 

The  principles  of  business  and  the  laws  of  progressive 
economy  are  being  applied  to  the  farm  more  to-day  than 
ever  before  and  consequently  the  farmer  is  becoming 
more  well-to-do  financially  than  ever  before.  The  ten- 
dency ten  years  ago  was  unmistakably  away  from  the 
farm  but  not  so  to-day. 

To-day  farms  are  equipped  with  many  conveniences  of 
the  city,  and  even  enjoy  some  advantages  which  are  not 
found  in  the  city.  The  farmers  are  more  independent 
than  any  class  of  people  in  existence.  They  live  the  most 
ideal  life  of  health  and  happiness  close  to  nature.  They 
are  not  affected  half  as  much  by  the  troubles  of  labor 
and  capital,  of  strikes,  financial  depression,  high  cost  of 
living  and  a  thousand  other  things  as  are  the  people  who 
live  in  cities. 

Every  normal  sane  man  wants  to  have  a  home  and 
family  some  day  and  the  farm  offers  the  most  ideal  place 
to  raise  his  children.  From  farmer's  children  have 
sprung  the  majority  of  our  great  men  both  of  business 
and  of  the  professions. 

The  city  clerk  or  city  business  man,  working  in  a  big 
office  building  and  housed  in  a  flat  does  not  have  one- 
half  as  much  opportunity  to  progress  in  the  truest  sense 
of  the  word  as  does  the  farmer  on  a  fairly  fertile  farm 
working  as  his  own  master  on  his  own  property. 

On  your  examination  papers  you  may  specify,  if  you 
like,  that  you  will  accept  appointment  only  in  the  Agri- 
cultural Department.  This  will  give  you  the  best  oppor- 
tunity in  the  land  to  become  a  successful  up-to-date  busi- 
ness farmer. 


104  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 


The  Architect 

The  practice  of  architecture  resolves  itself  into  the 
proper  handling  of  any  problem  in  building. 

The  ideal  architect  is  a  poet,  a  dreamer  of  dreams,  a 
builder  of  air  castles,  with  the  technical  ability  to  repro- 
duce those  visions  in  lasting  material.  He  is  able  to  see 
his  building  completed;  he  sees  the  plan,  the  arrange- 
ment of  part  to  part,  the  suitability  of  purpose,  the  sim- 
plicity of  cause  and  effect.  He  sees  the  component  parts 
of  materials,  he  paints  the  walls  in  colors,  he  carves 
the  caps  of  columns,  he  models  cornices,  he  stains  the 
glass  in  the  windows.  He  rejects,  adopts,  invents  and 
brings  forth  a  unit,  a  whole,  a  harmony. 

It  is  his  right,  given  in  the  same  degree,  to  no  other 
artist,  to  show  what  he  has  discovered  of  beauty  in  the 
forms  of  nature.  The  entire  earth  is  before  him,  its 
animal,  vegetable  and  mineral  kingdoms  abound  in  forms 
of  surpassing  loveliness. 

The  architect  is  a  professionalist ;  the  practice  of  his 
calling  demands  the  full  exercise  of  the  intellect,  at 
some  sacrifice  of  business  capacity.  The  architect  is  a 
creator  of  originality.  He  is  not  a  mere  plan  drawer, 
and  a  specification  writer. 

The  architect  possesses  something  which  is  not  a  part 
of  the  man  of  business — a  sense  of  harmony,  an  artistic 
mental  attainment,  a  creative  ability — yet  he  must  have 
some  of  the  qualities  of  the  successful  business  man  if 
he  would  succeed. 

The  architect,  like  the  doctor  and  lawyer,  is  in  many 
cases  not  self-supporting  at  the  start.  However,  by  start- 
ing first  as  a  draftsman  he  may  earn  a  living  wage  and 
branch  into  architecture  gradually  as  experience  is  ac- 
quired, and  in  this  way  be  self-supporting  all  the  time. 

Good,  first-class  architects,  who  are  thoroughly  compe- 
tent to  plan  and  superintend  the  erection  of  nearly  every 
class  of  building,  earn  on  an  average  from  five  to  ten 
thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  from  that  figure  they 
go  higher  and  lower.  There  are  probably  a  dozen  Amer- 
ican architects  who  receive  upwards  of  fifty  thou- 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 105 

sand  dollars  a  year,  and  twenty-five  who  earn  as  much 
as  twenty  thousand  dollars  a  year. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  architectural  school 
does  not  and  cannot  produce  the  practicing  architect; 
that  the  business  must  be  learned  through  a  certain  ex- 
perience. This  experience  the  student  acquires  during 
the  period  when  he  is  a  draftsman.  Since  the  drafts- 
man is  the  only  step  between  the  school  and  the  architect, 
the  student  should  be  a  draftsman  at  the  time  he  leaves 
the  school. 

It  is  the  province  of  the  draftsman  to  assist  the  archi- 
tect in  the  assembling  of  his  construction,  to  work  out 
his  minor  details,  to  put  himself  in  the  place  of  the  ar- 
chitect and  carry  out  generalities. 

Washington  offers  several  good  schools  for  the  study 
of  drafting  and  also  opportunity  for  the  further  study 
of  architecture.  The  most  beautiful  architecture  in  the 
United  States  is  to  be  found  there  and  some  of  Amer- 
ica's greatest  architects  have  built  palaces  in  that  city. 

The  Artist 

The  artist  cannot  be  made.  All  the  education  in  the 
world  cannot  make  an  artist;  and  any  attempt  to  pro- 
duce an  artist  out  of  one  who  does  not  possess  artistic 
ability  and  temperament  is  a  waste  of  time  and  money. 

Artistic  ability  may  be  developed,  and  sometimes  or- 
dinary talent  in  this  direction  may  be  elevated  to  a  stage 
beyond  its  original  self,  but  there  must  be  some  talent, 
some  real  material  talent,  in  the  first  place. 

It  has  been  said  that  no  one  ever  earned  his  living  by 
the  production  of  true  art.  I  think  that  statement  goes 
to  show  that  in  the  work  of  the  artist  he  is  compelled  to 
cater  more  or  less  to  the  untrained  and  inartistic  mind 
if  he  would  earn  a  living. 

Under  our  present  system  of  living,  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  people  to  have  at  least  a  moderate  amount 
of  money  to  provide  food,  shelter,  clothing  and  a  rea- 
sonable amount  of  recreation,  and  unless  a  man  has  in- 
dependent means,  he  ought  not  to  try  to  follow  any 


106  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

work  that  does  not  pay  sufficient  cash  returns  to  provide 
a  comfortable  living  for  himself  and  his  family. 

The  things  that  men  contribute  to  society  in  these  days 
must  have  a  commercial  value  if  he  is  to  collect  in  re- 
turn a  living  for  what  he  contributes.  The  commercial 
artist  is  the  one  who  is  best  paid. 

In  the  majority  of  cases,  the  artist's  second  grade  of 
work,  or  rather  the  work  which  does  not  represent  his 
truest  feelings,  is  his  principal  support. 

Designers  of  wall  paper,  of  carpets,  of  tapestries,  of 
fabrics,  of  the  various  kinds  of  dress  goods,  may  be  con- 
sidered artists,  for  none  of  them  succeed  unless  they 
possess  the  true  artistic  temperament. 

The  field  of  advertising  which  is  growing  broader 
every  day,  has  opened  new  opportunities  to  the  artist. 
Many  of  our  leading  artists  offer  their  services  to  ad- 
vertisers. A  goodly  number  of  our  highly  artistic  de- 
signs appear  in  the  advertising  columns  of  magazines  and 
newspapers  and  are  produced  by  artists  who  do  this  class 
of  work  for  the  advertising  agencies. 

Most  lithographers  and  engraving  establishments  em- 
ploy artists.  A  large  lithographic  establishment  occa- 
sionally pays  as  much  as  five  thousand  dollars  a  year  to 
an  artist. 

Cartoonists  connected  with  the  large  daily  newspapers 
are  well  paid. 

The  government  service  offers  plenty  of  opportunity 
for  one  who  would  be  an  artist.  The  schools  of  art 
in  Washington  are  the  Arts  and  Crafts  School,  and  Cor- 
coran School  of  Art.  These  are  both  excellent  schools. 
The  Corcoran  Art  Gallery  is  one  of  Washington's  most 
beautiful  buildings. 

Mr.  Clifford  K.  Berryman,  for  many  years  cartoonist 
for  the  Washington  Post,  and  at  present  cartoonist  for 
the  Washington  Star,  started  as  a  government  employee. 
He  was  first  a  draftsman  in  the  Patent  Office  and  con- 
tinued to  hold  that  position  after  he  began  work  for,  the 
newspapers. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  107 

Congressman 

If  your  ambition  is  to  become  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Congress,  then  study  some  profession  or  business 
that  will  enable  you  to  establish  for  yourself  in  your 
home  community  a  reputation  and  a  good  income.  Since 
a  congressman  to  the  National  Congress  is  one  who  is 
chosen  by  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  people  to  rep- 
resent them  there,  his  accession  to  that  place  is,  the- 
oretically at  least,  by  the  will  of  other  people  more  than 
his  own.  But  at  the  same  time  the  most  of  those  elected 
are  those  who  go  out  after  the  place  and  go  after  it 
strong.  The  man  who  is  successful  in  politics  must 
learn  to  make  many  friends  wherever  he  goes  and  to  re- 
member people's  faces  and  their  names. 

The  government  employee  has  a  fine  opportunity  to 
study  the  actual  workings  of  Congress  and  if  he  makes 
the  best  of  his  opportunities  he  can  put  himself  in  an 
advantageous  position  to  run  for  Congress  when  he  re- 
turns to  his  home. 

It  is  no  small  honor  to  have  a  share  in  making  the  laws 
for  the  greatest  nation  on  earth.  The  opportunities  for 
big  service  to  one's  country  are  considerations  which 
ought  to  be  the  motive  of  the  man  ambitious  to  serve  in 
our  National  Congress.  The  salary  is  only  seventy-five 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  and  allowance  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year  for  stenographer. 

"The  Price  of  Place,"  by  Samuel  G.  Blythe,  gives  an 
excellent  and  vivid  picture  of  the  life  of  congressmen. 
It  is  a  very  interesting  book  and  the  man  who  is  ambi- 
tious to  run  for  Congress  will  find  a  great  deal  of  per- 
tinent information  in  it. 

Consular  Service 

The  consular  service  of  the  United  States  offers  a 
most  attractive  life  to  the  type  of  person  who  would 
represent  the  business  interests  of  this  country  in  other 
countries.  Many  people  confuse  the  consular  and  dip- 
lomatic services.  They  are  entirely  separate.  The  for- 
mer represents  this  country's  business  interests,  the  latter 


108  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

represents  us  in  matters  of  diplomacy  with  other  nations. 

Positions  in  the  consular  service  of  the  United  States 
are  filled  by  promotion  of  those  already  in  the  service 
and  by  examination  much  the  same  as  other  civil  serv- 
ice positions.  The  Secretary  of  State,  the  Director  of 
the  Consular  Service,  the  Chief  of  the  Consular  Bureau 
and  the  Chief  Examiner  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission 
constitute  a  board  of  examiners  for  admission  to  the 
consular  service. 

The  examinations  are  both  oral  and  written.  The 
object  of  the  oral  examinations  is  to  determine  the  can- 
didate's business  ability,  alertness,  genera)  information 
and  natural  fitness  for  the  service.  The  written  exam- 
inations include  at  least  one  modern  language  other  than 
English,  which  may  be  French,  German,  or  Spanish ;  the 
natural  industrial  and  commercial  resources  and  the  com- 
merce of  the  United  States,  especially  with  reference  to 
possibilities  of  increasing  and  extending  the  foreign  trade 
of  the  United  States ;  political  economy  and  the  elements 
of  international,  commercial  and  maritime  law.  It  also 
includes  American  history,  government,  and  institutions ; 
political  and  commercial  geography;  arithmetic  (as  used 
in  commercial  statistics,  tariff  calculations,  exchange, 
accounts,  etc.)  ;  the  modern  history  of  Europe  since  1850, 
Latin  America  and  the  Far  East,  with  particular  atten- 
tion to  political,  commercial  and  economic  tendencies. 
In  the  written  examination,  composition,  grammar,  punc- 
tuation, spelling  and  writing  will  be  given  attention. 

Candidates  must  make  an  average  mark  of  at  least 
eighty  per  cent  to  pass  on  the  examinations.  Examina- 
tions are  held  once  a^year  in  Washington  only.  All  ap- 
pointments and  promotions  in  the  service  are  upon  a 
merit  basis.  Consuls  start  in  the  service  in  class  nine 
at  a  salary  of  two  thousand  dollars  a  year.  The  pro- 
motions into  the  higher  grades  are  at  steadily  increasing 
salaries.  Class  two  pays  six  thousand  dollars  a  year 
and  class  one  eight  thousand  dollars.  From  consul 
comes  promotion  to  consul  general.  Class  one  of  con- 
sul generals  includes  only  the  cities  of  London  and  Paris, 
and  the  salaries  are  twelve  thousand  dollars  a  year. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 109 

To  the  young  man  in  the  government  service  at  Wash- 
ington and  especially  the  one  who  happens  to  be  in  the 
State  Department,  comes  an  excellent  opportunity  to  get 
into  the  consular  service,  and  since  this  service  is  now 
on  a  merit  basis  a  man  may  make  it  his  life's  work  with- 
out fear  of  being  thrown  out  at  the  first  change  of  the 
political  complexion  of  the  administration. 

Dentistry 

Dentistry  is  a  good  profession  to  follow.  The  require- 
ments for  a  good  dentist  include  ability  to  become  a 
skilled  mechanic  as  well  as  a  doctor.  It  is  closely  related 
to  the  medical  profession.  The  practice  of  this  profes- 
sion is  practically  all  done  in  the  dentist's  office  and  does 
not  require  the  same  amount  of  night  calls  that  the  med- 
ical doctors  are  subject  to.  The  practices  of  successful 
dentists  bring  them  incomes  of  from  three  thousand  to 
five  thousand  dollars  a  year  and  some  of  them  make 
more.  It  is  pleasant,  clean  work. 

At  Washington  there  are  two  excellent  schools  of  den- 
tistry, namely,  the  George  Washington  University  Den- 
tal School,  and  the  National  University  Dental  Depart- 
ment. 

After  one  has  finished  the  dental  school,  he  may  prac- 
tice in  Washington  and  hold  his  government  position  at 
the  same  time.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  profes- 
sional men  in  Washington  who  do  this.  They  include 
lawyers,  accountants,  engineers,  ministers  and  doctors. 

Doctors  who  have  their  office  hours  after  and  before 
government  hours  are  referred  to  in  Washington  as 
''Sun-down  Doctors/' 

Engineering — Civil,   Electrical,   Mechanical 

The  George  Washington  University  College  of  En- 
gineering offers  excellent  courses  of  study  in  that  de- 
partment, and  as  previously  stated,  the  classes  of  this 
university  throughout  are  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the 
government  employee. 

The  Federal  Government  pays  good  salaries  to  engi- 
neers in  various  departments  of  the  Government  such  as 


110  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

the  Reclamation  Service,  the  Alaskan  railroad  work,  the 
Panama  Canal,  and  other  departments.  One  having  com- 
pleted an  engineering  course  in  the  university  could  ob- 
tain transfer  into  an  engineering  position  without  leav- 
ing the  service.  After  gaining  some  experience  in  en- 
gineering, one  would  be  in  position  to  accept  commercial 
employment  if  it  were  more  attractive  than  the  gov- 
ernment employment. 

The  civil  engineer's  profession  is  overcrowded  at  the 
present  time,  and  the  work  of  the  mechanical  and  also 
the  electrical  engineer  offers  a  more  prosperous  future. 

To  the  student  interested  in  a  technical  training  along 
engineering  lines,  I  want  to  mention  one  rare  opportu- 
nity at  Washington  that  is  of  special  interest  to  him. 

In  the  patent  office  there  are  a  large  number  of  posi- 
tions with  the  official  titles  of  Examiner  of  Patents, 
and  Assistant  Examiner  of  Patents.  The  examiners 
are  promoted  from  assistant  examiners,  and  the  assist- 
ant examiners  are  appointed  from  competitive  examina- 
tions held  two  or  three  times  a  year.  The  assistant  ex- 
aminers are  paid  entrance  salaries  of  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  a  year  and  are  rapidly  promoted  as  high  as  four 
thousand  dollars  a  year. 

These  positions  are  among  the  most  attractive  in  the 
government  service  because  they  lead  to  very  high  sal- 
aried positions  in  the  commercial  world.  Many  of  our 
big  corporations  owe  their  dominant  positions  in  the 
world  of  business  to  their  control  of  patents  and  patent 
rights. 

The  obtaining  and  the  practical  protection  of  patents 
is  such  an  important  and  yet  such  a  difficult  thing  that 
the  big  corporation  interests  want  men  who  have  had 
actual  experience  in  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington, 
and  who  know  all  the  inner  workings  of  the  business 
from  the  inside,  to  handle  their  patent  departments.  The 
result  is  that  they  are  constantly  coming  to  Washington 
with  very  attractive  offers  to  the  patent  examiners  and 
assistant  patent  examiners. 

As  these  men  leave  the  Patent  Office  for  larger  sal- 
aries, they  make  promotions  for  those  who  remain. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  111 

The  student  who  will  go  to  Washington  and  study 
engineering  for  three  years,  can  qualify  to  pass  the  ex- 
amination for  assistant  patent  examiner  and  start  upon 
the  attractive  future  mentioned  above. 

The  demand  for  examiners  far  exceeds  the  supply  and 
the  reason  is  that  most  of  those  who  take  the  examina- 
tion do  not  live  in  Washington,  and  are  not  posted  on 
how  to  prepare  for  it.  By  moulding  your  technical 
course  to  fit  the  requirements  of  that  examination,  you 
can  be  prepared  to  pass  it  successfully  in  three  years  and 
this  you  would  accomplish  while  holding  another  position 
in  the  government  service. 

The  examination  of  the  various  applications  for  pat- 
ents filed  in  the  United  States  Patent  Office  is  a  work 
that  is  intensely  interesting  and  pleasant  for  the  tech- 
nical graduate. 

Inventor 

The  work  mentioned  in  a  preceding  paragraph  is  ideal 
preparation  for  the  inventor.  He  couldn't  find  better 
anywhere  in  the  United  States.  It  is  said  that  necessity 
is  the  mother  of  invention,  and  for  that  reason  many  of 
the  inventions  come  from  people  in  the  various  walks  of 
life  who,  through  their  circumstances  or  environment,  see 
the  need  for  the  things  they  invent.  At  the  same  time 
there  are  those  who  make  a  profession  of  inventing  new 
things. 

One  of  the  disadvantages  of  this  work  is  the  uncer- 
tainty that  is  frequently  met  in  experimenting  for  years 
before  producing  the  thing  sought,  and  there  is  no  as- 
surance of  its  being  produced  until  it  is  finished. 

Many  of  the  larger  industrial  corporations  employ  men 
on  salary  who  give  their  whole  time  to  the  invention  of 
new  things  to  manufacture  and  the  improvement  of  those 
being  manufactured. 

If  you  have  in  mind  an  invention  that  you  have  long 
wanted  to  work  out,  Washington  will  afford  you  the 
ideal  surroundings  and  the  time  to  perfect  your  idea; 
and  it  will  then  be  convenient  and  easy  to  have  it  pat- 


HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

ented.     Success  with  one  patent  may  lead  to  another. 
The  road  is  bright  for  him  who  cares  to  follow  it. 

Journalism 

Newspaper  work  is  distinct  from  that  of  literature. 
The  newspaper  editor  or  reporter  is  a  writer  of  matter 
presumably  of  the  life  of  a  day  or  a  week.  The  liter- 
ary man  often  gains  a  reputation  from  the  writings  be- 
tween two  covers,  but  the  reporter  is  reckoned  by  his 
daily  work. 

Newspaper  work,  like  yeast,  is  good  only  during  the 
state  of  ferment,  and  the  best  of  it  may  dry  as  quickly 
as  the  ink  that  prints  it. 

There  is  not  a  more  honorable  profession  or  business 
than  that  of  journalism. 

The  newspaper  is  the  mirror  of  its  city  or  town,  and 
its  editors  and  reporters  are  truly  representatives  of  the 
people,  and  most  invariably  of  a  grade  higher  than  their 
constituents. 

At  the  top  of  their  profession  are  the  editors-in-chief. 
Their  theoretical  power  is  absolute.  Practically,  how- 
ever, they  take  orders  from  the  owners  of  the  papers. 
Next  comes  the  managing  editors  and  then  the  editorial 
writers. 

Many  of  the  large  papers  now  have  editors-at-large, 
each  a  specialist  in  some  one  department.  These  writers 
usually  do  their  work  at  home  and  are  paid  by  the  piece. 
There  are  special  editorial  writers  who  give  only  a  part 
of  their  time  to  newspapers. 

There  are  telegraph  editors  who  handle  telegraphic 
copy,  and  music  and  dramatic  editors.  The  dramatic  or 
musical  editor  is  one  of  large  importance.  The  ordinary 
editorial  writer  is  not  fitted  for  this  position.  It  takes 
one  of  the  keenest  judgment  and  of  a  broad  mind  to 
properly  criticize,  weigh,  and  appreciate  a  play  or  other 
performance. 

Journalism  is  a  growing  profession.  There  is  a  de- 
mand for  the  daily  paper.  The  profession  is  not  over- 
crowded with  good  men.  It  is  a  work  that  brings  forth 
a  man's  best  energy.  He  feels  that  his  paper  is  of  vital 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  113 

force  in  the  community.  He  is  dealing  with  the  live  is- 
sues of  the  day.  He  is  part  of  an  enterprise  that  has 
power  and  influence  in  the  land. 

What  are  the  compensations?  First,  if  he  is  a  good 
newspaper  man,  he  enjoys  his  work ;  he  likes  the  excite- 
ment of  his  labor.  He  is  able  at  the  very  beginning  to 
obtain  a  compensation  sufficient  to  meet  his  immediate 
wants.  The  law,  medicine  and  the  ministry  would  re- 
quire years  of  preparation  without  compensation.  The 
average  salary  of  newspaper  editors  is  fully  equal  to  that 
of  the  average  lawyer. 

Occasionally  newspaper  work  leads  one  to  the  field  of 
literature  and  the  writing  of  books.  It  is  often,  too,  the 
preparation  for  success  in  politics — and  many  success- 
ful business  men,  bank  presidents  and  others  notable  in 
various  important  walks  of  life  obtained  their  training  as 
newspaper  men. 

One  good  way  to  try  out  newspaper  work  is  to  begin 
as  a  space  writer.  You  will  be  paid  from  four  to  fif- 
teen dollars  a  column  for  what  is  printed.  You  can 
begin  this  work  during  your  spare  time  and  would  not 
have  to  give  up  other  employment  until  the  new  work 
proved  entirely  successful  for  you. 

There  is  nothing  happier  and  surer  than  the  life  of  a 
country  editor.  If  he  is  a  decent  fellow,  he  is  highly 
respected. 

Miany  newspapers  in  the  towns  of  moderate  size  are 
very  profitable  and  their  owners  are,  in  some  cases,  the 
wealthiest  men  in  their  communities. 

To  the  person  in  the  Federal  service  at  Washington 
who  is  interested  in  journalism,  a  fine  opportunity  is 
available.  You  will  have  the  advantage  of  a  liberal 
knowledge  of  things  and  people,  and  also  that  of  a  good 
university  to  obtain  a  broad  book  education. 

What  is  going  on  at  the  National  Capital  is  always  of 
interest,  and  you  have  the  finest  kind  of  opportunity 
to  write  editorials  for  your  home  paper  while  you  are 
there.  In  this  way  you  can  keep  your  name  before  the 
folks  at  home,  and  in  case  you  decide  to  practice  some 
other  profession  or  enter  business  back  home  later,  your 


HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

editorials  in  the  home  paper  will  have  added  much  to 
your  prestige  in  the  community. 

Law 

Without  a  doubt,  Washington  offers  the  best  oppor- 
tunities and  surroundings  for  the  study  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession of  any  city  in  the  United  States. 

The  law  schools  at  Washington  have  the  advantage  of 
being  able  to  have  on  their  faculties  lawyers  of  national 
reputation  and  achievement — those  highly  successful  law- 
yers who  go  to  Washington  in  the  service  of  their  na- 
tion's business. 

Almost  everyone  knows  what  the  work  of  the  lawyer 
is.  Practices  which  bring  in  incomes  of  five  thousand 
dollars  a  year  are  not  uncommon  and  a  good  many 
lawyers  have  incomes  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars 
and  more.  Almost  any  lawyer  of  ability  earns  a  good  liv- 
ing at  his  profession.  But  it  is  hard  to  get  clients  at 
first  unless  the  young  lawyer  go  into  an  already  estab- 
lished firm. 

Abraham  Lincoln  has  been  quoted  as  saying  that  he 
always  had  the  utmost  sympathy  for  the  young  lawyer. 
For  the  first  year  after  he  hung  up  his  shingle,  he  sat  in 
his  office  praying  for  clients  to  come  and  then  when  a 
few  did  come,  he  sat  in  his  office  nights  praying  to  the 
Lord  to  tell  him  how  to  satisfy  those  that  came. 

Law  is  a  dignified  and  honorable  profession  and  holds 
forth  such  wide  possibilities  that  a  very  large  number  of 
the  sons  of  the  rich  and  financially  independent  choose 
this  profession.  The  result  is  that  there  are  a  lot  of 
young  fellows  who  are  graduates  of  the  best  law  schools, 
and  who  are  otherwise  equipped  to  be  good  lawyers,  and 
who  are  not  dependent  on  their  earnings  for  a  liveli- 
hood. These  men  are  about  the  country  willing  to  work 
in  law  offices  a  year  or  two  for  the  experience.  A 
noted  example  of  this  is  Francis  Bowes  Sayre,  one  of  the 
President's  sons-in-law.  At  the  time  he  married  Miss 
Wilson  he  was  working  in  the  office  of  District  Attor- 
ney Whitman  of  New  York  without  salary  because  hej 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 115 

wanted  the  experience.  His  people  had  money  and  he 
could  afford  to  do  it. 

This  kind  of  competition  makes  hard  the  way  of  the 
young  lawyer  who  must  earn  a  living  from  the  start. 
However,  the  government  stenographer  is  well  equipped 
to  overcome  this  obstacle;  when  he  finishes  law  school 
at  Washington,  he  can  go  out  in  the  states  somewhere 
and  get  employment  at  a  living  wage  as  a  stenographer 
and  law  clerk  in  some  good  law  office  and  in  time  his 
opportunity  will  come  to  have  a  paying  practice  of  his 
own  or  to  get  into  the  office  as  an  attorney,  when  he 
began  his  training  as  stenographer  and  clerk. 

Much  more  about  law  and  the  advantages  of  studying 
it  in  Washington  will  be  found  in  Chapter  IV  under 
"A  Man's  Opportunities." 

Manufacturer 

The  successful  manufacturer  is  one  of  the  kings  of  the 
business  world.  There  are  many  side  roads  that  lead  to 
failure  along  the  road  that  leads  to  successful  manu- 
facturing. 

Successful  manufacturing  involves  much  more  than 
the  ability  to  produce  large  quantities  of  goods,  be  the 
goods  ever  so  meritorious. 

First  the  manufacturer  must  have  a  legal  right  to 
make  and  sell  the  proposed  article.  Many  of  the  com- 
mon articles  now  being  manufactured  are  protected  by 
patents  and  to  manufacture  them  one  must  buy  the  rights 
from  the  owners  of  the  patents.  Many  of  these  rights 
are  not  for  sale. 

The  article  must  be  something  that  can  be  sold  at  a 
profit  and  before  the  production  of  goods  is  commenced 
a  definite  plan  of  marketing  that  is  reasonably  sure  to 
sell  the  goods  should  be  worked  out.  Many  a  manu- 
facturing plant  has  been  unsuccessful  all  because  it  was 
not  linked  with  the  proper  sales  organization  to  find  a 
profitable  market  for  the  goods  produced. 

Almost  all  the  things  that  are  needed  to  supply  man's 
needs  and  desires  are  being  manufactured  by  organiza- 


116  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

tions  that  are  organized,  experienced  and  able  to  sell 
cheaper  than  a  new  organization  just  feeling  its  way. 
Moreover  these  organizations  control  trade  and  trade  is 
hard  to  get  for  the  business  concern  just  entering  the 
field. 

The  most  successful  manufacturing  concerns  are  those 
that  have  grown  from  very  small  beginnings  and  have 
done  their  own  financing  as  they  went  along.  It  is  very 
dangerous  business  to  put  much  money  into  the  equip- 
ment .for  manufacturing  any  article  until  its  sales  possi- 
bilities have  been  tested  and  until  the  sales  force  to  be 
relied  upon  for  its  marketing  has  been  tried  out. 

It  is  as  difficult  to  find  a  good  article  to  manufacture 
as  it  is  to  get  together  an  organization  to  produce  and 
sell  it. 

The  successful  manufacturer  is  more  than  an  ordinary 
business  man.  The  business  man  knows  buying  and 
selling.  The  manufacturer  must  know  buying,  selling 
and  must  also  have  a  knowledge  of  production.  He 
must  have  abilities  for  organization  and  management  not 
required  of  the  man  who  only  buys  and  sells. 

The  most  successful  manufacturers  have  among  their 
other  qualifications  the  ability  to  handle  men.  This  is 
absolutely  essential  for  the  full  success  of  any  manufac- 
turing organization. 

You  may  think  that  you  can't  wedge  your  way  into 
this  field  against  such  odds  and  against  so  many  men  of 
large  capital  and  long  experience,  but  you  can.  The 
writer  has  been  closely  associated  of  recent  years  with 
one  who,  four  years  ago,  started  a  manufacturing  busi- 
ness with  very  little  capital,  and  made  it  grow  in  four 
years  into  a  million-dollar  corporation  employing  a  large 
number  of  people,  and  selling  its  product  all  over  the 
United  States  and  Canada. 

This  is  rather  a  phenomenal  achievement,  but  it  has 
been  duplicated  many  times  in  our  United  States,  and  is 
going  to  be  duplicated  many  more  times  in  the  future. 
There  are  as  many  good  chances  ahead  to  make  fortunes 
in  the  manufacturing  business  as  there  are  behind.  New 
inventions  and  the  rapid  changes  in  our  civilization  and 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  117 

mode  of  living  keep  bringing  forth  the  necessity  and 
consequent  demand  for  new  commodities  of  trade. 

The  man  who  would  be  a  successful  manufacturer 
should  study  the  drift  of  the  changes  that  are  taking 
place  in  the  world  of  commerce,  science  and  invention, 
also  other  changes  of  life  or  conditions  that  will  make  a 
reasonably  permanent  need  for  some  new  commodity. 

The  invention  of  the  automobile  brought  forth  the 
rubber  tire  business  and  this  business  has  become  so 
large  recently  that  there  is  room  in  the  field  right  now 
for  other  tire  manufacturers  to  start  up  and  operate  at  a 
profit,  but  those  who  through  foresight  or  circumstances 
got  into  the  business  ten  years  ago,  have  already  made 
many  millions  out  of  it  and  established  trade  names  that 
will  make  them  many  more  millions,  until  someone  in- 
vents a  substitute  for  rubber  tires. 

Very  few  manufacturers  start  out  deliberately  in  early 
life  to  be  manufacturers.  They  are  usually  successful 
business  men  and  start  into  manufacturing  when  an  op- 
portunity presents  itself,  although  some  manufacturers 
actually  create,  of  their  own  volition,  the  demand  for 
their  goods.  A  manufacturing  enterprise  founded  on 
an  artificial  demand  which  is  created  from  within  the 
manufacturing  organization  must  stand  fortified  to  con- 
tinue to  stimulate  that  artificial  demand  at  a  constantly 
increasing  cost,  or  change  product  if  it  would  maintain 
its  position  in  the  markets. 

For  the  man  in  the  Federal  service  at  Washington  who 
would  become  a  manufacturer,  let  him  study  a  course 
of  business  training  offered  by  some  good  school  of  ac- 
countancy and  business  administration,  preferably  the 
Washington  School  of  Accountancy  at  this  time.  He 
should  take  all  the  study  in  economics  that  he  can  get. 

After  finishing  school,  let  him  obtain  employment  in  a 
manufacturing  company,  and  study  its  organization, 
management,  selling  force  and  purchasing  department, 
also  its  production  processes  and  the  general  policies  of 
the  company. 

His  training  in  the  accountancy  school  will  have  been 
mostly  along  lines  of  accounting  and  finance,  and  he  will 


118  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

be  inclined  to  see  the  business  only  from  that  angle  at 
first  but  he  should  supplement  his  knowledge  with  study 
on  marketing,  credits,  advertising,  also  production,  until 
he  is  well  rounded  in  the  qualities  that  make  up  a  chief 
executive  for  such  an  organization. 

After  a  few  years  of  such  experience  and  close  study 
he  may  find  an  opportunity  to  acquire  interest  in  that 
company  or  may  be  prepared  to  start  manufacturing 
some  article  on  his  own  responsibility. 

Musician 

A  few  paragraphs  quoted  from  the  writings  of  Mr. 
Frank  H.  Damrosch,  musical  director,  give  an  excellent 
insight  into  the  life  of  the  musician. 

"One  of  the  first  considerations  in  choosing  a  vocation 
is  whether  it  will  offer  a  decent  living,  and  from  this 
point  of  view,  given  aptitude,  a  good  personality  and 
character,  and  honesty  of  purpose,  any  profession  will 
provide  a  comfortable  income. 

"Music  is  no  exception  in  this  respect  and  we  may  as 
well  dismiss  this  part  of  the  question  from  further  dis- 
cussion. While  the  musician  rarely  acquires  wealth,  he 
can  usually,  given  the  presence  of  the  qualities  enumer- 
ated above,  earn  a  good  living. 

"The  question  then  remains,  if  music  is  not  likely  to 
offer  great  pecuniary  inducements,  what  would  make  it 
worth  while  to  devote  one's  life  to  it? 

"The  answer  lies  partly  in  the  heart  of  each  individ- 
ual. If  the  heart  says :  I  must  follow  music  because  it 
is  my  life,  nothing  more  need  be  said.  But  even  the 
heart  does  not  speak  so  confidently,  and  when  plain  rea- 
son seeks  for  ground  upon  which  to  build  a  decision,  we 
will  find  that  music  is  an  art  which  appeals  to  the  intel- 
lectual faculties,  and  therefore  tends  to  improve  the 
mind ;  that  it  is  an  expression  of  the  beautiful  in  sound, 
and  is  therefore  uplifting  to  the  spirit ;  that  it  makes  for 
gentleness,  nobility  and  spirituality,  and  therefore  brings 
one  in  contact  with  the  best  men  and  women  in  the  com- 
munity. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 119 

"I  speak  not,  of  course,  of  the  trade  musicians,  the 
people  who  look  upon  music  only  as  a  plumber  or  a 
bricklayer  does  upon  his  job,  which  is  to  bring  him  so 
much  in  wages.  That  class  is  largely  represented  and 
has  its  uses;  it  can  often  make  a  fairly  good  living,  but 
it  does  not  represent  the  true  musician. 

"The  true  musician  is  much  in  demand  and  there  is 
much  work  for  him  to  do.  There  is  a  large  field,  pay- 
ing in  every  sense  of  the  word,  open  to  him.  Who,  then, 
shall  enter  the  field  and  labor  in  it?  Anyone  who  is 
'fond  of  music'?  By  no  means.  The  whole  world  is 
or  ought  to  be  fond  of  music ;  but  only  a  few  are  called 
and  still  fewer  are  chosen.  A  real  musical  talent  should 
not  only  be  a  reason  for  becoming  a  musician  but  should 
impose  an  obligation  to  do  so. 

"When  nature  provides  a  talent,  it  is  a  capital  which 
she  intends  shall  bear  interest,  and  woe  to  him  who  goes 
contrary  to  her  mandate. 

"If  a  person  shows  talent,  he  should  first  of  all  get  a 
thorough  academic  education,  for  a  musician  must  be  a 
true  and  cultured  gentleman.  Simultaneously,  he  must 
acquire  an  all-round  musical  education,  technical,  the- 
oretical, aesthetical,  and  historical.  Thus  equipped  he 
may  go  forth,  sure  of  success  in  so  far  as  a  congenial, 
honorable,  and  sufficiently  remunerative  calling  can 
give  it. 

"Under  the  conditions  outlined  above,  I  can  consci- 
entiously recommend  young  people  to  enter  the  profes- 
sion of  music.  It  means  hard  work  and  what  many  call 
drudgery ;  but  the  true  musician  is  so  interested  in  every 
detail  of  the  work,  its  development  and  its  results,  that 
he  feels  not  the  drudgery  and  his  work  is  a  pleasure. 

"Best  of  all,  he  feels  that  when  he  has  succeeded,  he 
has  brought  beauty  into  people's  lives  and  happiness  into 
their  hearts.  He  is  the  friend  of  thousands  whom  he 
does  not  know,  but  who  speak  his  name  with  admiration 
and  gratitude.  While  he  is  never  adequately  compen- 
sated for  what  he  gives,  for  the  true  musician  gives  his 
heart's  blood,  yet  his  work  is  its  own  reward. 

"America  needs   composers,   conductors,   singers,   in- 


120  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

strumentalists,  such  as  pianists,  performers  on  stringed 
instruments,  wind  instruments  for  high  class  symphony 
orchestras,  organists,  etc.,  church  musicians,  directors, 
teachers,  etc." 

In  Washington  the  opportunities  to  study  music  are 
good.  There  is  the  Georgetown  College  of  Music,  the 
Washington  College  of  Music,  and  the  Wilson  Greene 
School  of  Music.  These  schools  offer  excellent  oppor- 
tunities to  the  man  or  woman  interested  in  music. 

The  Ministry 

There  is  an  exceptionally  good  opportunity  open  at 
Washington  to  the  young  man  who  would  prepare  for 
the  ministry.  The  most  successful  ministers  to-day  are 
men  who  have  had  lots  of  experience  with  life  in  other 
walks  than  that  of  the  minister.  The  minister  as  such 
is  at  a  disadvantage  in  seeing  the  real  life  of  people 
because  he  almost  always  se-es  them  in  their  Sunday  ap- 
pearance. The  government  service  gives  a  young  man 
a  great  deal  of  that  contact  with  life  and  understand- 
ing of  business  that  many  ministers  lack.  He  is  getting 
a  contact  with  business  at  the  same  time  he  is  studying 
theology 

All  tuition  is  free  'in  George  Washington  University 
to  those  who  are  studying  for  the  ministry. 

The  theological  student  living  in  Washington  will  have 
all  the  opportunities  he  wants  to  practice  preaching  in 
the  smaller  churches  in  and  around  Washington  and  oc- 
casionally to  occupy  the  pulpit  in  one  of  the  larger 
churches. 

The  theological  school  does  not  and  cannot  make  a 
minister.  The  man  must  in  the  first  place  be  naturally 
adapted  to  the  ministry.  He  must  be  a  leader  of  men, 
a  skillful  teacher,  and  should  have  experienced  the  im- 
portant phases  of  life,  that  he  may  know  life,  know 
men,  and  know  things,  not  in  their  exceptions,  but  in 
their  averages.  Without  this  everyday,  all-round  ex- 
perience, he  may  become  a  great  and  learned  teacher  of 
the  technicalities  of  theology,  but  he  will  never  actually 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 


accomplish  much  in  the  way  of  teaching  men  how  to  live 
Christlike  lives. 

Thousands  of  people  have  been  turned  against  the 
churches  for  the  rest  of  their  lives  by  the  foolish  and 
impractical  preaching  of  woefully  incompetent  preach- 
ers. This  sort  of  preacher,  because  he  is  educated  more 
or  less  in  books  and  because  he  is  more  book-learned 
than  experienced,  makes  a  theory  of  life  from  the  guess- 
work of  theology,  and  thus  equipped,  he  attempts  to 
reach  the  people.  In  his  ignorance  of  the  real  and  the 
preponderance  of  his  theology,  he  misrepresents  both 
God  and  man. 

No  person  has  a  right  to  enter  the  ministry  unless  he 
has  an  absorbing  love  of  humanity.  To  this  must  be 
added  ability  and  adaptability,  and  the  necessary  educa- 
tion preparation;  and  by  all  means  a  practical  experi- 
ence in  real  life. 

The  ministry  does  not  pay  much  in  the  way  of  finan- 
cial returns.  The  minister,  in  most  cases,  does  not  stay 
at  one  church  very  long.  The  cost  of  moving  about,  of 
the  books  and  self-education  which  he  must  keep  up  all 
the  time,  the  charity  that  he  is  obliged  to  contribute  to 
and  the  costly  necessity  of  keeping  up  social  life,  all 
drain  his  purse. 

If  a  man  has  ambitions  of  wealth  and  a  love  for  gold, 
he  had  better  not  try  to  follow  the  ministry.  On  the 
other  hand  if  he  is  the  type  of  man  for  the  ministry, 
it  is  a  noble  work,  the  field  for  service  is  unlimited,  and 
he  can  earn  a  good  living.  If  the  minister  has  very 
much  ability,  he  can  add  to  his  income  through  the  lec- 
ture platform,  through  his  writings,  or  in  other  ways. 

Patent  Attorney 

The  successful  patent  attorney  is  usually  one  who  has 
finished  the  study  of  the  legal  profession,  in  general, 
and  then  specialized  in  patent  work.  Many  of  the 
shrewdest  and  most  successful  patent  attorneys  got  their 
training  in  the  patent  office  at  Washington.  You  can 
specify  on  your  examination  papers,  if  you  like,  that  you 


122  HOW  t6  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

wish  appointment  only  in  the  patent  office.  The  spe- 
cial advantages  that  Washington  offers  for  the  study  of 
law  have  been  mentioned  under  the  heading  of  "Law" 
in  this  chapter. 

There  is  only  one  United  States  Patent  Office  and  that 
patent  office  is  by  far  the  best  place  to  learn  patent  law. 
As  an  employee  of  the  patent  office  you  would  be  thrown 
into  contact  with  the  ablest  patent  attorneys  the  country 
over,  and  your  chances  to  associate  yourself  with  some 
successful  firm  as  partner  would  be  excellent. 

America  is  the  melting  pot  for  all  nations.  This  amal- 
gamation of  people  here  has  produced  more  brilliant 
thinkers  and  more  inventors  than  any  other  nation  in 
the  world.  There  have  been  more  than  a  million  pat- 
ents issued  to  the  American  people  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  United  States  Patent  Office. 

The  work  of  the  patent  attorney  is  well  paid  for  and 
in  addition  it  offers  many  chances  to  acquire  an  interest 
in  valuable  patents  in  exchange  for  services,  for  there 
are  many  inventors  of  valuable  inventions  who  haven't 
the  money  for  patents  and  will  give  an  interest  to  the 
attorney  who  secures  the  patent  for  them. 

The  civil  service  offers  a  most  attractive  opportunity 
to  the  man  who  would  become  a  patent  attorney. 

Salesmanship 

The  man  In  any  walk  of  life,  who  at  any  time  seeks 
to  influence  his  fellow  men,  is — or  should  be — a  sales- 
man. The  laborer,  the  politician,  the  teacher,  the  social 
worker,  the  lawyer,  the  minister,  every  one  of  these  is 
day  by  day  applying,  or  failing  to  apply,  the  same  great 
principles.  The  things  sold  have  a  thousand  forms. 
The  teacher  sells  education;  the  lawyer  sells  conviction 
to  the  jury;  the  social  worker  sells  higher  ideals  of  liv- 
ing; the  minister  sells  religious  and  moral  truth.  The 
least  and  the  greatest  of  us  are  selling  ourselves,  our 
opinions,  our  friendship.  To  sell  means  to  secure  in 
someone  else  the  mental  acceptance  of  your  viewpoint. 
There  is  no  man  living  who  does  not  need  to  sell.  Rather 
is  it,  in  a  sense,  the  primary  function  and  our  most 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 


pressing  duty.  The  sooner  we  learn  to  do  it  consciously, 
and  wisely,  and  compellingly,  the  greater  will  be  our 
achievement  and  our  happiness. 

There  are  wonderful  opportunities  ahead  for  men  of 
real  sales  ability*  Every  issue  of  smoke  from  every 
factory  says,  "We  are  making  goods  to  be  sold."  Every 
boat  and  railroad  engine  says,  "We  are  hauling  goods 
to  be  sold."  In  every  publication  thousands  are  call- 
ing, "We  have  goods  to  be  sold."  New  inventions  are 
daily  proclaiming,  "Improved  goods  to  be  sold." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  —  and  this  is  a  point  to  remember  — 
there  is  hardly  a  commodity  on  the  market  which  might 
not  be  distributed  more  extensively  than  it  is  to-day. 
Every  hour  sees  a  new  product  launched  in  the  world  ;  a 
new  food,  a  new  tool  or  implement,  a  new  supply  of 
materials  from  natural  sources  —  forest,  mine  or  plain  — 
hitherto  untapped;  and  these  commodities,  too,  can  be 
sold  in  quantities  limited  only  by  the  salesmanship  force 
that  is  put  behind  them. 

Make  no  mistake  about  it  —  there  is  plenty  of  oppor- 
tunity for  trained  salesmen.  The  life  of  influencing  fa- 
vorably the  minds  of  others  to  the  point  where  they  will 
buy  your  goods  is  a  most  fascinating  one.  The  sales- 
man has  goods  to  sell,  but  primarily  he  is  not  dealing 
with  his  goods,  he  is  dealing  with  the  minds  of  men. 

When  you  fully  understand  and  can  successfully  apply 
the  scientific  principles  of  changing  other  people's  minds 
to  think  as  you  do,  this  business  called  salesmanship  has 
a  wonderful  fascination  and  a  big  future  for  you.  In 
selling  you  are  constantly  sowing  your  thoughts  and* 
ideas  in  the  minds  of  other  people  and  reaping  back  a 
harvest. 

There  is  no  sport  or  pleasure  known  to  human  life 
which  is  so  full  of  thrilling  experiences  as  that  of  playing 
upon  the  minds  of  human  beings,  by  exercising  your 
positive  powers  of  reason  and  suggestion  to  make  them 
think  with  you  to  the  point  of  action.  It  is  this  same 
fascination  that  keeps  the  actor  and  actress  upon  the 
stage  ;  and  it  enters  to  a  certain  extent  many  other  fields 
of  endeavor. 


HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

The  minds  of  men  are  infinite  in  their  variety  of  de- 
sire, emotions,  motives  and  ways  of  thinking.  For  this 
reason  the  business  of  salesmanship  has  an  unending 
variety  in  it  which  lends  lifelong  enchantment  to  the 
work. 

An  article  by  Hugh  Chalmers  on  salesmanship  covers 
this  field  admirably  and  is  so  full  of  the  enthusiasm  of 
successful  salesmanship  that  I  quote  from  it  as  fol- 
lows: 

"In  a  broad  way,  everyone  is  a  salesman  and  every- 
one is  practicing,  or  failing  to  practice,  as  the  case  may 
be,  the  principles  of  salesmanship,  and  these  principles 
are  simply  the  principles  of  influencing  favorably — 
and  not  unfairly — the  human  mind. 

"It  is  a  salesman's  business  to  change  minds,  to  over- 
come prejudices,  to  break  down  bad  customs,  soften  stub- 
bornness, and  let  the  light  of  reason  into  dark  places. 
What  is  more  to  be  desired  than  the  ability  to  influence 
the  minds  of  men  and  to  change  them  for  the  mutual 
good  of  the  buyer  and  seller?  Emerson  said:  'He  is 
great  who  can  alter  my  state  of  mind/  He  may  have 
been  thinking  of  salesmen  when  he  said  it. 

"And  isn't  life  in  general  pretty  much  a  matter  of 
making  other  people  feel  as  you  do  about  something  or 
other?  About  yourself  primarily?  How  great  and 
prosperous  we  should  all  be  if  only  we  could  bring  the 
world  to  feel  about  us  as  we  feel  about  ourselves! 

"Salesmanship  is  a  science  and  it  is  also  an  art.  There 
is  a  certain  fund  of  knowledge,  relating  to  the  profes- 
sion of  salesmanship,  and  a  certain  lot  of  principles  by 
which  the  salesman  consciously  or  unconsciously  works, 
that  together  amount  to  a  science.  By  the  art  of  sales- 
manship I  mean  the  actual  practice  of  selling  goods — the 
actual  calling  on  customers,  the  displaying  of  samples,  the 
presentation  of  selling  arguments,  the  taking  of  orders 
— the  application  in  business  life  of  the  knowledge  com- 
prising the  science.  Between  the  science  of  salesman- 
ship and  the  art  of  selling  there  is  much  the  same  dif- 
ference as  between  studying  law  in  a  university  and 
practicing  it  in  a  court. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION  123 

"A  great  many  men  who  understand  the  principles  of 
scientific  salesmanship  are  not  successful  salesmen.  They 
come  short  in  the  application — in  the  practice.  There 
are  a  great  many  people  who  can  see  in  their  minds  beau- 
tiful pictures,  and  who  understand  pretty  well  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  rests  the  painters'  art,  who  can  never 
paint  good  pictures.  For  art  is  doing  as  opposed  to 
knowing.  It  is  the  acme  of  man's  accomplishment  in 
any  line  of  activity,  whether  it  be  selling  goods  or  paint- 
ing pictures. 

"I  think  salesmanship  is  as  scientific  as  law,  and  in 
some  respects  the  work  of  a  salesman  closely  resembles 
the  work  of  a  lawyer  trying  a  case.  When  a  case  comes 
to  trial  we  find  the  lawyer  first  making  a  preliminary 
general  statement.  He  outlines  all  that  he  expects  to  do 
for  his  client.  He  announces  that  he  intends  to  prove 
his  client  innocent  on  a  half  dozen  counts,  any  one  of 
which  would  be  sufficient,  and  he  enumerates  them  in 
ur^Ier. 

"In  the  second  stage  of  the  trial  we  find  him  bringing 
in  the  evidence  to  support  and  prove  the  general  state- 
ments made  in  his  opening  address.  In  the  closing  ad- 
dress we  find  him  recapitulating  all  of  the  statements, 
arguments,  and  evidence  which  he  has  previously  intro- 
duced into  the  trial,  and  closing  it  all  with  an  appeal  as 
strong  and  as  tactful  as  he  can  utter  to  the  emotions  of 
the  jury  and  the  judge;  an  appeal  that  will  bring  about 
a  final  decision  favorable  to  his  client. 

"Now  look  at  the  salesman  as  he  approaches  his 
prospective  customer.  He  makes  a  statement  telling 
his  customer  in  general  terms  what  he  has  to  offer.  He 

akes  certain  broad  claims  for  his  article.     He  says  it 

ill  save  the  customer  both  time  and  money,  that  it  will 
do  the  work  of  two  men,  that  it  is  the  best  thing  of  its 
kind  made,  and  that  the  price  is  amazingly  low  consid- 
ering the  value.  Then  he  goes  on  to  submit  evidence 
proving  his  statement,  and  finally  he  sums  it  all  up,  going 
over  each  of  his  arguments,  pointing  out  again  quickly 
and  eloquently  the  advantages  of  his  article,  and  trying 
with  a  final  skillful  appeal  to  bring  about  a  decision  in 


126  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

the  mind  of  his  customer.  Thus  we  have  the  three 
steps  in  any  sale — the  approach,  the  demonstration,  and 
the  closing  argument. 

"But  salesmanship  is  something  more  than  a  science 
or  an  art — it  is  a  principle — a  principle  of  human  rela- 
tionship. It  is  the  principle  of  the  influence  of  one  per- 
son on  another.  It  is  a  fundamental  principle,  and  it 
is  universal  in  its  working. 

"If  I  were  asked  to  define  salesmanship,  I  should  say 
that  it  is  simply  making  the  other  fellow  feel  as  you 
do  about  what  you  have  to  sell.  That  is  about  all  there 
is  to  it.  You  go  into  a  man's  office  with  something  to 
sell.  You  feel  that  this  man  ought  to  possess,  through 
purchase  from  you,  this  thing  that  you  have  to  sell.  But 
the  man  you  have  called  to  see,  who  sits  with  an  air  of 
cool  defiance  behind  the  breastwork  of  his  desk,  is  in  a 
directly  opposite  state  of  mind.  He  feels  that  he  ought 
not  to  possess,  through  purchase  from  you,  the  thing 
you  have  to  sell.  Now  the  only  possible  way  you  can 
make  the  sale  is  to  make  that  man's  mind  come  around 
into  agreement  with  your  mind.  It  is  not  even  a  case 
where  you  can  meet  your  opponent  halfway;  you  can- 
not make  even  a  small  compromise  and  still  make  a  sale. 
You  have  got  to  sell  him  completely  or  you  don't  sell 
him  at  all ;  you  must  pull  him  full  one  hundred  and  eighty 
degrees  around  the  circle.  When  you  have  made  him 
feel,  just  as  sincerely  as  you  yourself  feel,  that  he  should 
buy  what  you  have  to  sell,  then  he  will  buy. 

"The  art  of  salesmanship  is  sanctified  by  difficulties. 
It  is  difficulty  that  makes  all  art  sacred.  Anybody  can 
do  the  easy  things ;  it  takes  good  men  to  accomplish  the 
difficult.  Proficiency  in  the  art  of  salesmanship  is  as 
admirable  as  proficiency  in  law,  or  medicine,  or  engineer- 
ing. Some  day,  if  it  does  not  now,  the  world  at  large 
will  recognize  the  fact. 

"There  is  no  work  in  the  world  better  for  the  man 
who  is  doing  it  than  salesmanship,  because  it  calls  for 
the  application  of  knowledge  to  specific  cases.  We  evolve 
through  contact.  It  is  polishing  surfaces  that  makes 
the  diamond  marketable. 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 


"Have  you  ever  stopped  to  think  how  much  good  sales- 
men do  in  individual  cases?  A  salesman  is  a  man  with 
the  courage  of  his  convictions;  he  is  one  who  will  not 
take  'No'  for  an  answer.  How  many  men  are  there 
who  owe  their  success  to  some  salesman's  refusal  to 
take  'No'  for  an  answer? 

"Whatever  you  really  need  you  pay  for,  whether  you 
ever  buy  or  not.  The  man  who  needs  an  adding  ma- 
chine pays  for  it  many  times  over  by  the  time  and  mis- 
takes it  would  save.  The  merchant  who  needs  adver- 
tising pays  for  it  many  times  over  in  the  trade  that 
passes  by  his  door;  the  salesman  who  doesn't  believe  in 
advertising  pays  for  his  wrong  opinion  in  the  'almost 
sales'  that  advertising  would  have  helped  him  close  ;  the 
family  of  the  man  who  didn't  believe  in  life  insurance 
pays  the  premiums  in  suffering  after  he  is  gone. 

"And  this  brings  us  to  where  we  can  see  that  in  every 
good  sale  the  salesman  renders  a  service  to  the  buyer 
which  is  not  compensated  for  by  the  price  of  the  article 
sold.  It  is  a  realization  of  this  service  which  is  not  cov- 
ered in  the  purchase  price  that  must  ever  afford  to  sales- 
men a  great  pleasure  in  their  work.  There  is  many  a 
man  sitting  back  to-day  complacent  over  his  success,  and 
entirely  satisfied  that  he  did  it  all  himself,  who  owes 
that  same  success  entirely  to  the  fact  that  a  good  sales- 
man couldn't  hear  him  one  time  when  he  said  'No'  and 
stayed  and  made  him  say  'Yes/ 

"To  be  a  good  salesman  is  to  be  something  very  much 
worth  while,  for  salesmen  serve.  And  those  who  serve 
most,  prosper  most  —  they  win,  even  when  they  seem  to 
lose." 

Teaching 

For  the  government  employee  at  Washington  who  is 
interested  in  teaching,  there  is  the  George  Washington 
University  Teachers'  College,  and  also  the  J.  Ormond 
Wilson  Normal  School. 

The  school  of  to-day  is  a  greater  factor  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  young  than  is  the  present  home.  The 
child's  first  view  of  real  life  is  in  the  schoolroom.  At 


128  HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  CIVIL  SERVICE 

school  he  begins  to  realize  what  there  is  in  the  world, 
what  has  been  and  what  probably  will  be.  In  the  home 
there  is  rarely  opportunity  for  the  child  to  see  what  liv- 
ing really  means.  It  is  the  teacher  who  introduces  the 
child  to  life.  In  the  school  the  child  first  realizes  what 
he  is  and  what  his  relations  to  others  are. 

Teaching  can  be  attractive  to  one  capable  of  success  in 
some  other  occupation,  only  when  he  has  a  message  for 
young  people.  To  such  there  is  no  other  field  in  which 
his  life  can  be  so  completely  given  to  the  unfolding  and 
developing  of  the  mind  and  character  as  in  teaching. 
Teaching  is  a  noble,  uplifting,  glorious  life  for  the  one 
who  accepts  it  as  a  mission  to  young  people. 

The  profession  of  educator  or  teacher  is  filled  with 
the  noblest  class  of  men  and  women,  those  of  the  high- 
est aspirations,  seekers  for  the  truest  success  and  pos- 
sessors of  genuine  high  character,  with  the  unselfish  and 
loving  spirit  of  the  missionary,  for  what  cause  is  greater 
or  nobler  than  that  of  forming  character?  The  teacher 
is  honored  but  he  does  not  receive  half  the  honor,  respect 
or  remuneration  that  he  deserves. 

The  profession  should  be  recognized  more  than  it  is. 
It  should  be  publicly  lifted  to  a  higher  plane.  I  would 
magnify  the  teacher's  pension.  I  would  place  him  upon 
a  pedestal  as  high  as  any  other  erected  to  human  en- 
deavor. 

No  money  worshipper  wants  to  teach  and  it  is  a  very 
good  thing  that  he  does  not  for  such  a  person  would  not 
be  sufficiently  broad-minded  or  able  to  instruct  properly 
the  young  or  anybody  else. 

From  a  financial  point  of  view,  teaching  can  hardly 
be  considered  as  a  remunerative  profession.  Compara- 
tively few  teachers  earn  more  than  a  living;  a  lesser 
number  obtain  a  competency ;  and  none  of  them,  unless 
they  are  owners  of  institutions  ever  become  rich  from 
the  harvest  of  their  planting. 


TO  you  who  have 
faith,  ambition,  en- 
ergy, determination,  and 
grit  to  dare  and  to  do, 
the  way  has  been  shown. 
Your  success  depends 
upon  your  action. 


129 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


